There are five commercial broccoli harvesters in America. European version coming soon. Wageningen University’s agricultural technology and research group is working on this together with an American mechanical engineer.
The problem with broccoli harvesting is that not all plants are “ready to harvest” at the same time. After the young broccoli is planted in the ground with the help of a planter, a change in growth occurs.
Shape and size vary depending on the plant, so the grower has to pick the broccoli selectively and by hand. When everything is collected at once, a lot of waste is generated.
Robots may well replace the work of harvesting. Broccoli is a fairly open and easily recognizable crop.
There are currently five commercial broccoli harvesters in operation in America. Researchers from the Wageningen University Department of Agricultural Technology and Research group are now trying to create a European version. It is smaller, removes fewer rows at the same time, and can be pulled with a conventional tractor. The researchers are doing it together with an American machine builder.
smart robot
To harvest broccoli, the robot must be able to recognize the broccoli plant well, despite differences in field, soil type, and light. There are also differences in size, color and texture between individual plants and cultivars. In addition, the head of broccoli is sometimes covered in leaves. Despite these conditions, the robot must be able to determine if the broccoli is ready for harvest.
The researchers were able to train the system well in all these aspects.
