Robotic Courgette Harvester

**种植者获得大量季节性(75,000人)(5)劳动力来收获大田蔬菜的能力受到了新冠肺炎、英国退欧和欧洲各地移民工人可获得性下降的严重影响(10)。*家庭劳动力(“为英国挑选”)无法取代这一需求(11)。作为低利润率的价格接受者，种植者无法提供更高的工资(12)。*这已成为一场全国性的危机，比其他任何单一挑战都更威胁着英国食品体系的弹性(60)。**“史无前例的劳动力短缺导致数百吨农产品腐烂在田里”英国《金融时报》(57，22)的劳动力供应非常紧张[...]我们本可以[用更多的工人]来做更多的产量‘(乔治·里德，史泰博蔬菜英国)’如果我们不能得到足够的人，…我们就没有生意！[...]进口会带来更高的碳足迹，我们无法完全控制来源和不断增长的做法。(John Chinn，Cobrey Farm)“收割用工短缺是我们目前最大的担忧，迫使我们大幅减少未来西葫芦等作物的种植。收割自动化是我们盈利的唯一可行解决方案，继续在英格兰运营，**2025年净零目标(14)**”。英国主要的西葫芦种植者波特利的巴尔福茨。东欧和英国之间缩小的工资差距(英国广播公司2021年10月26日农业：罗马尼亚的月劳动力成本从GB 300上涨了两倍至GB 1000)；**新冠肺炎**和英国退欧改变了劳动力**市场动态**，2020年短缺30%**(13)，导致农作物浪费。*劳工提供者协会：‘食品供应链中的员工短缺是史无前例的，严峻的，而且持续的。99%的劳动力提供者在过去的3个月里无法满足对工人的需求，75%的人将无法在圣诞节前满足需求。**(61)这个项目是MM开发一种完全新型的农业机械的旅程中重要的一步，这种新型农业机械可以可靠地取代体力劳动，以满足英国种植者的需求。MM已经建造了一个自主芦笋收获机器人，并成功地进行了田间测试，其平台可以用于这个项目。西葫芦对成像、软件，特别是夹持机制提出了更复杂的挑战，需要将西葫芦从植株上拧下来，而不是在地面上切割。

**Growers' ability to obtain the large seasonal (75,000 strong)(5) workforce to harvest field vegetables has been severely impacted by Covid-19, Brexit and declining migrant worker availability across Europe(10).****Domestic labour ('Pick for Britain') cannot replace the need(11). As price takers with low margins, growers cannot profitably offer higher wages(12).****This has become a national crisis that threatens the UK food system's resilience more than any other single challenge(60).**"Unprecedented labour shortages have left hundreds of tonnes of produce rotting in the fields" Financial Times (57,22)'Labour availability is very tight [...] we could have done extra volume [with more workers]' (George Read, Staples Vegetables UK)'If we can't get enough people, ...we don't have a business! [...] Imports carry a higher carbon footprint and we cannot fully control provenance and growing practices.' (John Chinn, Cobrey Farms)'Labour shortage for harvesting is our greatest current concern, forcing us to significantly reduce our future cultivation of crops like courgettes. Harvest automation is the only viable solution for our profitability, keep operating in England, and **2025 Net Zero aims(14)** ''. Barfoots of Botley, major UK Courgette grower.A narrowing wage gap between Eastern Europe and the UK (BBC Farming today 26.10.2021: Monthly labour costs in Romania have tripled from £300 to £1000); **Covid-19** and Brexit have changed labour **market dynamics**, with a 30% **shortfall in 2020(13) resulting in wasted crops.****The Association of Labour Providers: 'staff shortages in the food supply chain are unprecedented, bleak, and ongoing. 99% of labour providers couldn't meet needs for workers in the last 3 months, and 75% will not be able to meet demand in the run-up to Christmas'.** (61)This project is an important step on MM's journey to develop a completely novel class of agricultural machine that can reliably replace manual labour to address the needs of UK growers. MM already has built and successfully field-tested an autonomous asparagus harvest robot whose platform can be used in this project. Courgettes present more complex challenges for imaging, software and in particular the gripping mechanism which will need to twist the courgettes off the plant rather than cut at ground level.