Perth engineers are creating a strawberry-picking robot, but will it cost human jobs?

Two engineers based in Perth have developed a strawberry-picking robot that could be the key to tackling labor shortages on the farm.

Key points:A robot prototype has been developed that could help alleviate agricultural labor shortagesThe machine is made from 3D printed parts and can work all nightThere is some reluctance to the share of strawberry growers despite the possibility of saving on labor

The robot was designed to be similar in size to a person, so it could directly replace workers humans due to current labor shortages in the agricultural industry.

Mark Brims is the director of BSC Electronics in Perth and the lead engineer behind the prototype.

Mr. Brims said it was difficult to determine how many people the robot could replace because there were many variables to consider.

"The benefit of robots run 24 hours 24, 7 days a week," he said.

"A human can only work eight or ten hours a day for five or six days a week.< /p>

"It's the tortoise and the hare — it eventually catches up — so [could replace] probably about one or two people per robot, but those comparisons are all a bit complicated. "

< figure class="_247xw _3qLh5 _sBMB _3pBTa" role="group" data-print="inline-media" aria-labelledby="101382868" data-component="Figure" data-uri="coremedia: //imageproxy/101382868" >The robot was made with 3D printed parts and rods made of carbon fiber, which makes it lightweight and inexpensive. (ABC Rural: Georgia Hargreaves)How it works < p class="_1g_Rg">The robot uses an integrated 3D color camera to locate a strawberry, discern the level of ripeness and picking it.

It also has built-in GPS so a route can be plotted around the farm, with a set drop point for the robot to bring the tray of picked fruit back to. paid it automatically.

This prototype works best with hydroponic strawberries, which grow around the (human) waist.

Some farmers have recently started growing hydroponic strawberries, following a shortage of farm labor.(ABC Great Southern: Sophie Johnson)

The robot also has the ability to use ultraviolet (UV) light to control certain diseases on strawberries, reducing the need to use fungicides.

Engineer Robert Walker said UV-C light technology was new to Australia, but had been used in other parts of the world, including the United States

"A few years ago, I think the United States Department of Agriculture discovered that the fungus "We catch it mainly on strawberries, powdery mildew, offers some UV protection during the day, but at night it goes out," it's...