Robots to Replace Migrant Fruit Pickers


	Robots to Replace Migrant Fruit Pickers

wildcat

6-22-2007 6:59 AM

446 views

tags:

technology, robotics, agriculture, labor

1 Comment |

Add a Comment

6-22-2007 9:31 AM

bignosemousie

One step closer to total robot domination.

Login to Comment. Not a member yet? Sign up

Eco-clubbing: Sustainable Dance Club

First Electronic Ink Magazine Cover Expected

New University Education Model Needed

The CO2 extractor

My Mind Has Been Taken Over by an Alien

90% of Americans 18-28-year-old own a PC

More clips from wildcat

How Many Silicon Valley Startup Executives...

How one day we may all be eternally young

Solar Sailing in Space

Today's Top Clips

visit the Top Clips page

View the Top Clips from June 22, 2007

Embed This Clip In Your Site...

<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://www.clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/9a0a6852-d2ac-47f8-8988-efa55430d4d1/7764877E-AB15-482E-85A1-19D068885568/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker" href="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker" style="font-size: 11px;">www.wired.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker"><H1 id="articlehed">Farms Fund Robots to Replace Migrant Fruit Pickers</H1></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker"><div align="center"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/www.wired.com/img/A27D2CF0-9102-4AB8-8A0E-66902BDAF8C3" alt="Grapevine+pruner" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker"><DIV id="caption">
                                    Vision Robotics is developing a machine to trim grapevines in the fall.<BR /><EM>Image: Vision Robotics</EM>
</DIV></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker"><P>
As if the debate over immigration and guest worker programs wasn't complicated enough, now a couple of robots are rolling into the middle of it. 
</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker"><P>
<A href="http://www.visionrobotics.com/">Vision Robotics</A>, a San Diego company, is working on a pair of robots that would trundle through orchards plucking oranges, apples or other fruit from the trees. In a few years, troops of these machines could perform the tedious and labor-intensive task of fruit picking that currently employs thousands of migrant workers each season.
</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker"><P>
The robotic work has been funded entirely by agricultural associations, and pushed forward by the uncertainty surrounding the migrant labor force. Farmers are "very, very nervous about the availability and cost of labor in the near future," says Vision Robotics CEO Derek Morikawa.
</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker"><div align="center"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/www.wired.com/img/2F8492CC-2DA5-4C2A-96F7-5306A43F1882" alt="" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker"><P>Agricultural groups hope Vision Robotics can build this harvester to replace labor crews.</P></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/7764877E-AB15-482E-85A1-19D068885568/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

Clipmarks: Home; New Clips; Top Clips; Dashboard

Popular Topics: News; Life; Science; Technology; Entertainment

Get Started: Sign Up; Install Clipping Tool; How Clipping Works; Clip-to-Blog™; ClipSearch

Tools and Resources: FAQ; ClipWeek; Top Clippers; Top Tags; Site Map

About Clipmarks: About Us; Contact; Blog; Copyright; Privacy; EULA

Search Options

Related Clips

More clips from wildcat

Today's Top Clips