Robots And Inflatable Conveyor Belts could transform farming and horticulture over the next decade.

Research engineers and horticulture specialists at the University of Warwick are working together to devise a suite of robots and automated systems which could transform farming and horticulture over the next decade. 

The researchers from the University of Warwick's horticultural arm, Warwick HRI, and its manufacturing engineering section, Warwick Manufacturing Group, are working on a number of robotics and automation products that will vastly reduce the labour costs of farmers and growers. Those projects include:

• A
  robotic mushroom picker: the robot uses a charged coupled camera to spot and
  select only mushrooms of the exact size required for picking achieving
  levels of accuracy far in excess of human labour. The mushroom are then
  picked by a suction cup on the end of a robotic arm. Whilst the speed of
  picking is currently just over half that of a human - the mushrooms and the
  robot can be set to pick 24 hours a day right through the night without the
  need for any sort of break. The researchers also hope to increase the speed
  of picking to much closer to that of a human worker.


• Inflatable
  Conveyor Belt: The Warwick Manufacturing Group and Warwick HRI researchers
  have helped an agricultural machinery company "Aeropick" to
  develop a revolutionary group of inflatable aids to harvesting which provide
  huge savings on labour costs. The inflatable conveyor system can be driven
  into an open field or covered growing area. Within minutes up to 100 meters
  of powered conveyor belt can be deployed allowing crops to be processed at
  high speed straight to cool storage, or washing, or simply sorted and graded
  while still in the field.

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