Strawberry season may be getting streamlined thanks to new robot coworkers developed at ºÙºÙÊÓƵ.
Using an innovative prediction and scheduling system, Fragile cRop hArvest-aIding mobiLe robots, or FRAIL-bots, track the picking process of each worker so when they’re finished filling a tray with strawberries, a FRAIL-bot is already nearby to take it back to the collection station for them.
Efficiency during strawberry season is key for both workers and producers, as workers are typically paid by how much they pick in a day, and producers regularly deal with labor shortages.
Of course, walking is healthy — but, in this case, workers often need to walk hundreds of feet to and from the edge of the field every time they’re done harvesting. The team’s initial studies showed that having FRAIL-bots do this can lead to a 25% time savings, which would lead to greater pay and higher yield each season.
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Searchers on Google want to know: Does ºÙºÙÊÓƵ really smell like cows? Do you really need a bike on campus? Students looked at some of the Internet’s most-asked questions about the university and shared their own answers.
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Cody Kitaura is a News and Media Relations Specialist in the Office of Strategic Communications, and can be reached by email or at 530-752-1932.