World’s first raspberry picking robot cracks the toughest nut: soft fruit

The robots are being used amid shortages of seasonal workers across Europe

The robot developed by Fieldwork Robotics can pick a kilogram of raspberries an hour. Picture: Fieldwork Robotics

The next raspberries you eat might have been picked by a Kraken-like four-armed robot, rather than a human. Fruit harvested by what is believed to be the world’s first raspberry-picking robot in commercial operation is now on sale in supermarkets.

Two robots developed by Fieldwork Robotics, a spinout company from the University of Plymouth, have been harvesting the berries round-the-clock in polytunnels in a field near Odemira in southwest Portugal. The farm is run by the Summer Berry Company, a leading supplier to supermarkets including M&S, Ocado, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.