RoboCrop: Teaching Robots How To Pick Tomatoes (phys.org)
(Wednesday December 10, 2025 @05:00AM (BeauHD)
from the ripe-for-the-picking dept.)
- Reference: 0180349543
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/12/09/2323241/robocrop-teaching-robots-how-to-pick-tomatoes
- Source link: https://phys.org/news/2025-12-robocrop-robots-tomatoes.html
[1]alternative_right quotes a report from Phys.org:
> To teach robots how to become tomato pickers, Osaka Metropolitan University Assistant Professor Takuya Fujinaga, Graduate School of Engineering, [2]programmed them to evaluate the ease of harvesting for each tomato before attempting to pick it . Fujinaga's new model uses image recognition paired with statistical analysis to evaluate the optimal approach direction for each fruit. The system involves image processing/vision of the fruit, its stems, and whether it is concealed behind another part of the plant. These factors inform robot control decisions and help it choose the best approach.
>
> The model represents a shift in focus from the traditional 'detection/recognition' model to what Fujinaga calls a 'harvest-ease estimation.' "This moves beyond simply asking 'can a robot pick a tomato?' to thinking about 'how likely is a successful pick?', which is more meaningful for real-world farming," he explained. When tested, Fujinaga's new model demonstrated an 81% success rate, far above predictions. Notably, about a quarter of the successes were tomatoes that were successfully harvested from the right or left side that had previously failed to be harvested by a front approach. This suggested that the robot changed its approach direction when it initially struggled to pick the fruit.
"This is expected to usher in a new form of agriculture where robots and humans collaborate," said Fujinaga. "Robots will automatically harvest tomatoes that are easy to pick, while humans will handle the more challenging fruits."
The findings are [3]published in Smart Agricultural Technology .
[1] https://slashdot.org/~alternative_right
[2] https://phys.org/news/2025-12-robocrop-robots-tomatoes.html
[3] https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2772375525007695
> To teach robots how to become tomato pickers, Osaka Metropolitan University Assistant Professor Takuya Fujinaga, Graduate School of Engineering, [2]programmed them to evaluate the ease of harvesting for each tomato before attempting to pick it . Fujinaga's new model uses image recognition paired with statistical analysis to evaluate the optimal approach direction for each fruit. The system involves image processing/vision of the fruit, its stems, and whether it is concealed behind another part of the plant. These factors inform robot control decisions and help it choose the best approach.
>
> The model represents a shift in focus from the traditional 'detection/recognition' model to what Fujinaga calls a 'harvest-ease estimation.' "This moves beyond simply asking 'can a robot pick a tomato?' to thinking about 'how likely is a successful pick?', which is more meaningful for real-world farming," he explained. When tested, Fujinaga's new model demonstrated an 81% success rate, far above predictions. Notably, about a quarter of the successes were tomatoes that were successfully harvested from the right or left side that had previously failed to be harvested by a front approach. This suggested that the robot changed its approach direction when it initially struggled to pick the fruit.
"This is expected to usher in a new form of agriculture where robots and humans collaborate," said Fujinaga. "Robots will automatically harvest tomatoes that are easy to pick, while humans will handle the more challenging fruits."
The findings are [3]published in Smart Agricultural Technology .
[1] https://slashdot.org/~alternative_right
[2] https://phys.org/news/2025-12-robocrop-robots-tomatoes.html
[3] https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2772375525007695
Good thing (Score:2)
by Buchenskjoll ( 762354 )
That's all fine, but can a robot poick its nose? I think not, some things must be left to humans.
So robots are the new fat cat capitalist class (Score:2)
by Growlley ( 6732614 )
picking all the low hanging esay fruit - whilst the worker does the hard work.
People are cheap (Score:2)
by monkeyxpress ( 4016725 )
I worked for a farming automation company over 20 years ago now. There were a few things I noticed:
The first was that much of the low hanging automation tasks had already been automated a long time ago. People think automation is replacing a field full of 100 workers with 100 humanoid robots. But the reality is that we replaced those workers with a tractor and pesticide sprays. It's this observation that makes me skeptical about the whole humanoid hype fest.
The second thing is that people are damn cheap. I
Or alternatively... (Score:2)
... use the 1.85 million unemployed in Japan to pick the tomatoes. I doubt they're all wannabe rocket scientists or AI devs just waiting for their break.