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May 1, 2017

Orchard owners look to robots now to pick fruit

  • FFRobotics and Abundant Robotics are racing to get their mechanical pickers to market. Prototypes are expected to be in fields this fall.
  • By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
    Associated Press

    SPOKANE — Harvesting Washington state's vast fruit orchards each year requires thousands of farmworkers, and many of them work illegally in the United States.

    That system eventually could change dramatically as at least two companies are rushing to get robotic fruit-picking machines to market.


     
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