Experts take first steps to create ROBOT strawberry pickers who could end the need for human workers

Experts are developing a robot to replace human strawberry pickers as farms struggle to find workers due to Brexit. Around 20 per cent of soft fruits are going to waste due to a shortage of workers, University of Essex researchers say. This will worsen when Britain leaves the EU, scientist claim, which has led to farms looking for alternate solutions to harvest crops. Dr Vishuu Mohan a computer science and engineering lecturer who is leading the project, said: 'The challenge is that no two berries are the same - they come in different shapes, sizes, order of ripeness and many are hidden in the foliage. 'Also the environment keeps changing constantly - sunny, windy, rainy - in contrast to a typical industrial environment.