Development of an Innovative asparagus robotic harvesting technology (AsparaCut)

英国芦笋生产商在时效性很强的收获期面临着越来越不确定的劳动力市场，尤其是在新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）和英国退欧的背景下，因为收获主要由临时海外劳工完成。我们建议创建一个创新的自动化收获解决方案，将先进的机器人技术和人工智能结合起来，类似于人工收获（黄金标准），以克服劳动力短缺。一个可靠、稳健和具有成本效益的收获解决方案，如拟议的解决方案，将使英国芦笋种植者能够继续投资于这种高价值、营养丰富的作物，从而减少对高二氧化碳排放进口的依赖。

UK asparagus producers are faced with an increasingly uncertain labour market for their time-sensitive harvest, especially in light of Covid-19 and Brexit since harvesting is performed predominantly by temporary overseas labourers.We propose to create an innovative, automated harvesting solution incorporating advanced robotics and artificial intelligence to resemble manual harvest (the gold standard) to overcome labour shortages. A reliable, robust and cost-effective harvesting solution such as the one proposed will empower UK asparagus growers to continue to invest in this high-value, nutritious crop, thereby reducing the reliance on high-CO2 emission imports.