Picking tomatoes can be expensive and a tedious task specifically when there is a short supply of labor, however, robotic help is now available. Inaho Inc, a Japanese company has established a subsidiary company inaho Europe BV with a base in the Netherlands and has developed a new robot for harvesting snack tomatoes.
The company aims to develop robotic solutions to aid in the enhancement of agricultural production. In 2019, the company launched an AI-equipped asparagus harvesting robot.
The European subsidiary of the company officially began operating on April 1, 2021 and has the tomato robotic harvester launched as its first product.
Every year, the European Union produces around 17 million tonnes of tomatoes which requires lots of hours for picking, and this costs much getting the produce ready for the shop.
Autonomous navigation, indoors, outdoors, day and night
The company’s new product is a fully automated robot used for harvesting snack tomatoes. The product is programmed to use AI algorithms in identifying ripe fruits by their size and color.
The device is battery-powered and on a single charge, can run 12 hours shifts working day and night. Autonomous navigation using RTK GPS, SLAM, and sensor technologies allowing the robust mobile robot to navigate both outdoor and indoors.
The company started to develop its tomato harvesting product in 2020. Presently, the company has already manufactured four robots and released them for work. The machines are already in use in the field and feedback is being collected from various leading growers in Japan for more improvements.
Inaho says it plans to make farming more sustainable, and via the solution it proffers, it aims to contribute to saving labor and improving agricultural efficiency in Europe and other regions.
Co-founder and COO of inaho, Sohya Ohyama, recognizes the current need for this tomato harvester and said: “Farms and producers across various countries are suffering from labor shortages as a result of the pandemic of Covid-19.
“In addition to the global pandemic, the increasing wages for farm workers are becoming a growing difficulty for businesses in agriculture.
“These challenges could eventually lead to food shortages in the coming years; therefore now is the time to introduce automation technologies and to transition away from the existing methods of farming.
“We believe that our cutting-edge technologies and solutions will contribute to the well-being of all persons in the agricultural industry and lead to the realization of sustainable agriculture in the future.
“To make this happen, we are seeking partners who can expand on these values together including growers, seed companies, and facility equipment companies in the EU.”
