Humanoid robots tested for pepper harvesting
Source: HD.com
© Harvest House Many tasks in the fruiting vegetable supply chain have already been automated, but working with pepper plants remains complex. To address this, the two organizations are investigating what humanoid robots can add to greenhouse operations.
The HAC, officially opened on July 2 at the Mechatronica Innovatie Campus Schiedam (MICS) in the Netherlands, is where these experiments are being carried out to bring technology and practice together. Photo right: grower John Overgaag shakes hands with the robot "We're not waiting until the technology is fully developed," says Lienemijn Verploeg, innovation project manager at Harvest House.
From there, we keep testing, learning and improving toward practical use in the greenhouse." The goal is a robust solution that can be deployed at scale. John Overgaag, grower at Kwekerij Overgaag, points to the scale of the task: "On our 45-hectare farm, we're talking about 80 million picking actions per year.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
