Winemakers are building grape-picking robots
Automating this delicate task is harder than it seems
Modern farms are increasingly automated—from GPS-controlled combine harvesters to machines that shake apples from trees. One task, though, seems stubbornly resistant to being ceded to robots: picking grapes.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Robocrop”
From the October 26th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Science & technology
Can you breathe stress away?
It won’t hurt to try. But scientists are only beginning to understand the links between the breath and the mind
The Economist’s science and technology internship
We invite applications for the 2025 Richard Casement internship
A better understanding of Huntington’s disease brings hope
Previous research seems to have misinterpreted what is going on
Is obesity a disease?
It wasn’t. But it is now
Volunteers with Down’s syndrome could help find Alzheimer’s drugs
Those with the syndrome have more of a protein implicated in dementia
Should you start lifting weights?
You’ll stay healthier for longer if you’re strong