In Australia, a collaborative effort involving Hort Innovation, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Future Food Systems, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub (ARM), and BNL Industrial Solutions is investing $2 million in a program aimed at transforming banana farming. The initiative seeks to develop a robotic arm to automate banana de-handing, a process essential for separating bananas from their stalks. This project, leveraging computer vision and machine learning, aims to address the challenges of the labor-intensive and repetitive nature of banana de-handing.
Dr. Chris Lehnert, leading the research at QUT, emphasizes the importance of this innovation for the banana industry. With a background in robotics and a focus on vertical farming, Lehnert and his team conducted a feasibility study to identify the main issues banana farmers face, particularly in North Queensland. The study revealed a strong interest among farmers in adopting robotic solutions for de-handing, highlighting the potential for increased efficiency and safety in banana processing.
"This problem of de-handing came up, where the process is a labour-intensive task, it's very hard to train people to do the task, and it can be quite dangerous," explained Lehnert. By automating this process, the project aims to not only enhance processing efficiencies but also integrate robotics into the broader agricultural landscape.
Source: foodmag.com.au