Beerstecher testing picking robot developed at ETH Zurich

December 19, 2023

Zurich/Hinwil/Glattfelden - Beerstecher AG is deploying a picking robot developed by Floating Robotics to assist with vegetable harvests as part of a pilot project. The start-up was founded as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH).

Beerstecher testing picking robot developed at ETH Zurich — Source: ETH Zurich / Nicole Davidson.

In the Beerstecher AG greenhouse in Hinwil in the canton of Zurich, a new picking robot from Floating Robotics has recently been put to work. The machine, which was developed by the spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), is designed to help with de-leafing, harvesting and packaging vegetables, as ETH Zurich writes in a press release. For this, the robot is able to withstand being exposed to conditions such as 80 percent humidity and temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius.

The robot primarily takes over strenuous and repetitive activities, allowing our employees to focus on more demanding tasks that require a creative and critical mindset.

Bianca Curcio - Beerstecher, Greenhouse Production Managment

“The robot primarily takes over strenuous and repetitive activities, allowing our employees to focus on more demanding tasks that require a creative and critical mindset”, comments Bianca Curcio in the press release. She is responsible for production management in the Beerstecher greenhouse and previously studied at ETH Zurich. Although the project is still in the pilot phase, Curcio is convinced that the robot will prove to be a great help in Beerstecher AG’s production processes.

The picking robot monitors the growth of the plants via a camera and is able to identify various plants and objects. The robot arm is trained for specific activities such as de-leafing and harvesting. The technology behind the picking robot was developed at the Robotic Systems Lab of ETH Zurich. Under the leadership of Salman Faraji, the spin-off Floating Robotics was founded this year. Based in Glattfelden in the canton of Zurich, the company has been established with the aim of commercializing the picking robot technology. ce/hs