NAGOYA - An AI-equipped harvesting robot is being used to pick mini tomatoes at the Tokuiten mini tomato farm in Chita, Aichi Prefecture, where efforts are underway to address the shortage of successors in agriculture while improving production efficiency.
At the roughly 2,000-square-meter farm, the robot has been deployed to harvest mini tomatoes, carrying out work that has traditionally relied on manual labor. The system was developed and refined entirely by employees of the farm, who handled everything from initial design to subsequent improvements.
The project began as a response to the growing lack of successors and workers in agriculture, prompting the farm to explore technological solutions that could maintain productivity while reducing labor burdens. The developers focused on creating a robot capable of identifying ripe tomatoes and harvesting them efficiently, with various adjustments made to improve performance in real farming conditions.
The initiative highlights how AI-driven automation is being introduced at smaller agricultural operations, not only to improve efficiency but also to support the long-term sustainability of farms facing demographic challenges.
Source: Nagoya TV News
