Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are developing a robotic system that can identify and pinpoint ripe green asparagus in the field; a key step toward automating one of agriculture’s most labour-intensive tasks.
Natural growth differences between asparagus spears and uneven terrain have so far made harvesting with robots difficult.
The prototype combines camera-based perception with detection algorithms and reaches speeds that can compete with human workers. Initial tests show promising results, with further improvements already underway.
