Sep 6, 2021

Multifunctional robot for tomato harvesting introduced

The Certhon Harvest Robot is a multifunctional robot that detects, cuts and transports tomatoes to boxes all by itself. The deep-learning technology will make the robot smarter with each harvest.

According to a news release, the Certhon Harvest Robot can detect the fruits and sense which tomatoes are ready for harvesting thanks to advanced vision technology. The robot shows what we are capable of when we combine smart technology, ambitious people and horticultural knowledge.

The robot moves in multiple directions to find the optimum position and route for harvesting. Thanks to smart cameras and lighting, the robot can harvest day and night. In the near future, the harvest robot can also scout the yield and measure the climate and health of the plants, including the functionality to protect for pests and diseases.

Edwin Vanlaerhoven, business development director at Certhon notes: “In order to make sure all of tomorrow’s people are fed, the world needs to come up with innovative and smart solutions now,” Edwin Vanlaerhoven, business development director at Certhon, said in the news release. “Eliminating uncontrollable external factors such as weather conditions, plague or disease has always been on top of a farmer’s wish list, and for horticulture the 20th century greenhouse that counters these threats was a big step forward. Now, with drastic changes happening in climate, demographics and labor shortages, it’s time to bring the greenhouse system in line with the 21st century. With that objective in mind, the Certhon Harvest Robot is created.  The robot simplifies the cultivation process, making the opportunity to grow food accessible to everyone. And this is just the beginning.”

Haruhiko Kato, chief technical officer at Certhon said: “Each crop is unique and the crops’ condition change every day. Therefore it is very important that the robot’s motion adapts to any height, direction and growth speed. By teaching the robot all these skills, we can really change the way we grow.”

The Certhon Harvest Robot is the result of a partnership between DENSO and Certhon. DENSO’s iterative improvement combined with Certhon’s ingenuity, ensures the knowledge and experience to deliver some of the most technologically-advanced growing systems available today.

Certhon engineers and manufactures turnkey, tailor-made solutions for the most high-tech horticultural projects, anywhere in the world. Certhon has more than 125 years of experience in horticulture and is based in the Netherlands. With 150 highly trained and experienced experts, the company has all the know-how and technologies under one roof to enable entrepreneurs to grow anything, anywhere. Certhon focuses on large-scale greenhouse projects, DayLED growing, and robots; and tomorrow, they’ll deliver Yield-as-a-Service.

As of April 1, 2020, the Japanese company DENSO became co-owner of Certhon. DENSO is a global manufacturer of automotive components offering advanced automotive technologies, systems and products. As a global Fortune 500 company, DENSO has a broad product portfolio and widespread global impact.

DENSO has been a leader and pioneer in manufacturing automation, including the design and manufacturing of industrial robot arms, since the 1960s. DENSO has developed several robots for horticulture already, which are widely used worldwide. The Certhon Harvest Robot is the next step in autonomous growing and is based on existing robot technologies.