Robots are coming to Washington's apple orchards
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The robot at work. Photo: Courtesy of Agridynamics Robotics
The next generation of Washington apple pickers may have robotic arms and vacuum-powered fingers.
The big picture: Facing labor shortages and rising costs, some Washington fruit growers could soon be turning to artificial intelligence and robotics to keep their farms going.
Driving the news: Agricultural technology venture Reservoir announced plans Tuesday to open a farm-based robot testing operation in the Yakima Valley next spring, working with local agricultural and economic development groups.
Between the lines: Labor accounts for 50% to 57% of the variable cost of growing Washington apples, according to Washington State University figures cited by Reservoir.
- The goal isn't to replace workers, Reservoir Farms founder Danny Bernstein told Axios, but to address labor shortages and help growers stay in business.
How it works: Some agricultural robots are already working, while others remain in development, Bernstein said.
- Bonsai Robotics makes technology that allows orchard equipment to navigate and spray rows of trees without a driver.
- Kennewick-based Skysense uses autonomous drones to scare birds away from blueberry and cherry crops.
- Redmond-based Aigen is developing solar-powered robots that remove weeds without diesel or herbicides. The company plans to demonstrate its latest model Friday.
Zoom in: AgriDynamics Robotics was among the companies showcasing technology at an agricultural robot exhibition in Yakima this week.
- Its prototype apple harvester uses robotic arms with soft vacuum grippers to pluck fruit from trees.
- In testing, each arm can pick an apple in three to four seconds, nearly matching a skilled human picker, Bernstein said.
- The company plans to refine its prototype at the new Washington site, testing it in real orchards with growers.
The catch: Tree fruit, blueberries, wine grapes and hops — four principal Washington crops — are some of the hardest crops in the world to automate, said Bernstein.
- Picking apples in particular is harder than it sounds, with fruit hidden behind leaves, changing light and long days of continuous operation, he said.
Yes, but: Turning promising technology into a profitable business isn't a sure thing.
- Seattle-based Carbon Robotics, which makes AI-powered laser weeders, recently cut jobs, per GeekWire.
The bottom line: Washington growers won't invest in robots until they've been tested locally, said Ines Hanrahan, executive director of the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission.
- "A machine that hasn't been through a Washington growing season isn't ready for one."