, March 18 -- Researchers have developed an AI-powered robot that can harvest tomatoes more efficiently by deciding the best way to pick each fruit.

The robot not only identifies tomatoes but also determines the easiest way to harvest them. This comes as farm labour shortages are pushing the agriculture sector towards greater use of automation, especially in harvesting.

Tomatoes are difficult for machines to handle because they grow in clusters. A robot must carefully pick ripe ones without damaging unripe fruits nearby, which requires accuracy and smart decision-making.

To address this, Assistant Professor Takuya Fujinaga of Osaka Metropolitan University's Graduate School of Engineering created a system that helps robots judge how eas...