In Tillsonburg, a robotics firm has introduced an automated asparagus harvester capable of gathering up to 60 spears per minute across four rows simultaneously. According to Steve Spanjers of HarvestCorp Technologies, this technology reduces the need for manual labour from four workers to just one. The operator is responsible for overseeing the machine, exchanging totes, and collecting any missed spears, with a front-mounted camera offering "95 per cent" accuracy in spear detection.
The machine utilizes GPS for navigation and can be set to harvest spears of specific dimensions, neatly aligning and stacking the produce. This development was highlighted at the third annual AgRobotics Demo Day in Simcoe, emphasizing the fusion of innovation and agriculture to solve industry challenges.
Kristen Obeid, co-chair of the Ontario AgRobotics Working Group, noted the initiative aims to integrate technological advancements into agriculture to address issues such as labour shortages. The adoption of such robots is seen as a means to enhance efficiency, reduce labour costs, and allow farmers to allocate their time to other essential tasks.
Source: thespec.com