A New Zealand engineer has won a prestigious award for designing an automatic kiwifruit picking machine.
Dr Rory Flemmer was awarded the title of New Zealand’s Engineering Innovator of the Year for his research into fruit packing and picking.
His automated fruit packaging system ensures each piece of fruit is correctly oriented prior to packing and, in the case of apples, that the reddest side faces upwards.
The packing system will also help consumers purchase fruit at the perfect stage of ripeness.
The kiwifruit picking robot aims to solve the age-old industry problem of picker shortages. The robot can pick fruit without damaging it and uses an artificial vision system that enables it to pick up to 14,000 pieces of fruit per hour.
The project was developed in conjunction with leading kiwifruit marketer Zespri, which recognised the impact that labour shortages could have on the industry.
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