Inaho’s Tomato Robot is achieving remarkable results during the ongoing tests in Dutch greenhouses, which marks great advancement in agricultural robotics. The robot, aimed at automating the harvesting of snack tomatoes, was launched in May 2023, and as compared to previous models, its harvesting accuracy and efficiency is far greater.
One fundamental improvement, which is of great value to greenhouse farmers facing serious staff shortages, is the increase in harvesting speed. In addition, the robotic muscle’s skill and vision has been improved with the new imaging feature, thus reducing the chances of prematurely harvesting immature green tomatoes, as well as accurately emptying the collecting bin into the correct germ box.
Such automation capabilities of Precision Agriculture Greenhouse Robotics Systems diminishes the overproduction of waste ideal quality tomatoes, enhances the profitability of agriculture, and allows harvesting only when the mature tomatoes are fully ready.
The new shape of the robot enables mobility through rows of tightly spaced poles, therefore it is no longer obstructed by other machines and tractors, and does not get stuck behind them. Overall, these features greatly facilitate robotic integration into routine farming activities, as well as make it possible to enhance the design functionality in addition to the operational efficiency of the robot.
Inaho is attempting an incursion into automation with the hopes of solving labor shortages and rising costs. The Inaho Tomato Robot is a step towards decreasing the number of human farmers that need to be kept productive. That being said, Inaho is increasing marketing efforts for commercial release and seeking additional agricultural partners.
This is why Inaho’s robot is so promising: there is so much that can be automated and the Netherlands has provided some of the most interesting results from their studies. Robotics is still in it’s infancy but even now the harvesting of crops can be attempted autonomously controlled. Because technology continuously improves it is Inaho’s hope that farming will one day be fully automated.
