Fieldwork Robotics reveals new model and alliance with Costa Group
The company is also working with Costa Group, Australia’s leading producer of fresh fruit and vegetables. The agreement will see Fieldwork’s robots deployed for trials at Costa berry farms over the next 12 months, with field trials taking place from Q1 2025.
David Fulton, Fieldwork CEO said: “The progress we have made over the last 18 months has been extraordinary. Partnerships with industry-leading companies like Costa Group are a testament to the hard work of our team, the quality of our product, and the effectiveness of our solution which solves a real world problem for growers.
“Fieldwork is strengthening our offering to growers operating in the fresh raspberry industry. We have secured a healthy pipeline of contracts with some of the world’s largest berry growers operating in our target markets, Australia and the US, and I am confident that we will continue to deliver to our customers.”
Fieldworker 1 is an enhanced robotic model that allows more accurate detection of berry ripeness and a heightened picking speed, allowing the robots to harvest at the same speed and quality as human pickers.
Building on recent advancements facilitated through the Innovate UK-backed Berry Bot and Berry AI projects, the new robot provides growers with a predictable cost per berry, enabling them to augment human labour while better managing their operating costs and overall profit margins.
The Fieldworker 1 is powered by AI-enhanced technology that allows it to detect berry ripeness more accurately than previous models. Spectral frequency is being utilised to remove any human bias from the analysis of berry ripeness, and the expectation is to harvest without compromising on quality.
The Fieldworker 1 will have the capacity to work in a fleet, with one operator running multiple robots across the field. This significantly reduces the labour intensity of the harvesting process and improves harvesting efficiency.
Fieldwork founder and Chief Science Officer, Martin Stoelen said: “Our newest model is the height of next generation autonomous harvesting. From our first ever model developed back in 2016, we have made huge progress in the development of our technology.
“Our expertise in autonomous agricultural robots has allowed us to craft a sophisticated, cutting-edge robotic system that is of significant benefit to growers operating in the fresh raspberry industry.”
Fieldwork Robotics was founded in 2016 by Martin Stoelen, clinched a £2m Seed funding round in October 2023 and has been awarded two Innovate UK grants for its BerryBot and BerryAI projects valued at £1.9m.