Fruit growers face labor shortages for tasks such as harvesting and pruning. Washington state leads the nation in apple and sweet cherry production, and the decline in migrant workers plus an aging rural population make it hard to find enough pickers.
Researchers at Washington State University developed a low-cost inflatable robotic arm to help pick apples and perform other orchard chores. The arm is made of soft fabric filled with air, similar to inflatable tube men used in advertising but stronger. It is two feet long and, with its metal base, weighs less than 50 pounds. The materials cost about $5,500.
The device can see an apple, then extend and retract to pick fruit in about 25 seconds. Because it is light and inflatable, it is safe near people and unlikely to damage branches or fruit. The team is refining mechanical parts and its basic detection system, and they are working to add functions and to commercialize the technology. Tests took place at Allan Brothers Fruit in Prosser, Washington.
Difficult words
- harvest — to gather ripe crops or fruitharvesting
- prune — to cut branches to help plant growthpruning
- migrant worker — a person who moves to work in different placesmigrant workers
- inflatable — made of material that fills with air
- robotic arm — a machine arm controlled automatically or by a robot
- orchard — a farm area where fruit trees grow
- commercialize — to sell a product or make it available widely
- detection system — equipment or software that finds or notices things
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think inflatable robots are a good solution for farm work? Why or why not?
- What other tasks on a fruit farm could this robotic arm help with?
- How might this technology affect migrant workers and local rural communities?
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