"We are carrying out extensive research and, in 2026, field robots will be available that can go into orchards to pick fruit automatically. These machines will be suitable for almost all types of fruits. We have already carried out tests on kiwis. The final prototype will become available over the course of 2025, and the machine will be launched in 2026. This is in addition to the harvesting wagon that sorts quality, which we have already been developing for a couple of years."
Angelo Benedetti
This is what was reported by Angelo Benedetti, CEO of Unitec, during the "Supporting our orchards with innovation and automation" conference held at the Unitec Campus in Lugo (Ravenna) on 14 February 2025.
Robotic harvesting test on kiwis (photo taken from video projected by Unitec during the conference)
"The technology first identifies whether the fruit is ripe, then picks it: it is therefore an evolution of the harvesting wagon for quality sorting, which we have already implemented as a prototype."
Benedetti emphasized that a change in the way of thinking is necessary to increase income in the fields. "We think almost exclusively in tonnes per hectare. We often hear that money is good for top-quality produce, but that there is still a lot of waste. This has been our way of thinking for decades, but we know that everyone's work is paid for by consumers, and this aspect is forgotten way too often. As fruit consumption is declining, we need to ask ourselves questions about the degree of gratification we provide to consumers."
"What can we do to make consumers satisfied? The answer is simple - we have to provide them with fruit that they can appreciate. The right degree of ripeness is key and, to produce fruit that is perfectly ripe, you need an orchard that is designed and built well. And harvest it in a certain way. The culture of quality is taught to us by the Japanese, with melons that cost €70 each, leaving only one or two of them per plant. Then everything depends on harvesting at the right time: and let's not forget that there is a shortage of labor, and the labor that is there does not have sufficient skills."
"Hardly anyone likes unripe fruit, which also weighs less than ripe fruit. Once harvested, it is difficult for it to improve, even if climacteric. That is why, a few years ago, we started to develop an innovative harvesting wagon with applications designed to make operators gauge the ripeness of fruits, which are assessed at the time of harvesting. Operators are provided with continuous feedback in real-time and know-how and what they are harvesting. It is still a prototype, not yet for sale. It is capable of processing 20,000 fruits per hour and also sorts them, as poor quality goods are put aside. This is not to automate the harvesting process, but its aim is to avoid harvesting unripe fruits."
Last but not least, a practical example was given of how careful sorting in the warehouse can bring high returns on the same fruit. "One of our clients decided to retain end consumers by creating a new brand for 'extra red oranges'. We provided them with the technology to select only those oranges that were internally highly pigmented. Now, 25% of consumers who buy oranges ask for those with that quality mark, the difference being that they cost one euro more per kg. It is a declared, and fulfilled, promise of quality. All this is therefore possible, but only if there is a strong connection between the fields and the processing plants."
For more information: www.unitec-group.com