- Fruit growers in many areas need more workers now.
- Washington grows apples and sweet cherries for the country.
- Picking and pruning need many people on farms.
- A research team made a soft inflatable robot arm.
- The arm inflates, reaches out, and picks fruit.
- It is light, safe, and does little damage.
- The device can see apples and then pick them.
- Teams test the arm in real orchards.
- The robot may help when workers are fewer.
Difficult words
- grower — person who grows fruit or cropsgrowers
- prune — to cut small branches from a plantpruning
- inflatable — can be filled with air to grow larger
- orchard — farm area where fruit trees groworchards
- device — a machine or tool made for a job
- damage — harm or bad change to a thing
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever picked fruit?
- Would you like a robot to pick fruit for you?
- Do you like apples or sweet cherries?
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