In Central Washington this fall, robots will pick apples in limited-scale trials in the ongoing race to commercialize a robotic apple harvester.

U.S. apple growers have been pining for robotic harvesters for years as the industry faces a shrinking supply of pickers and rising labor costs. Experts estimate labor represents 60% of an apple’s cost, and two-thirds of that comes from harvest.

A few major companies are in the robotic arms race. Big names include Fresh Fruit Robotics, Tevel Aerobotics Technologies, Advanced Farm Technologies and Abundant Robots.

Industry leaders predict widescale commercialization is still three to five years away, but they say the technology is improving.

“This could be a pivotal year, quite frankly. If indeed some of these companies can make strides — and I have no doubt they will — then we will be in a very different situation going into next year,” said Ines Hanrahan, executive director of Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, which is supporting the trials.

All four companies plan to offer robots via service or lease models — charging per bin picked or per month leased — rather than selling robots.

One player is Israel-based Fresh Fruit Robotics, or FFRobotics. The company, which has been working with Washington growers for several years, will run a limited-scale commercial harvest at a grower-packer operation this August.

The FFRobotics machine has 12 arms, six per side, which can adjust to row widths. Prongs on the end of each arm pick apples, which are gently released onto conveyors that deposit them into a bin.

An earlier-iteration robot plucked too many fruiting spurs along with apples, but Avi Kahani, CEO and president of FFRobotics, said the company has improved the picking technique.

“In my opinion, (FFRobotics) basically solved that problem,” said Hanrahan, of the commission.

FFRobotics still needs to improve the robot’s software and hardware, but the CEO is optimistic.

“I don’t see any major issues at this point in time,” Kahani said. “I think the machine is ready for commercial use.”

If trials go well, Kahani predicts the company will expand its offering to the market in 2023 and may later offer the robot as a four-season machine that can also thin and prune branches.

Another company, also based in Israel, is called Tevel Aerobotics Technologies.

Tevel employs flying autonomous robots, or drones, which use vision algorithms to detect ripe fruit that grippers then pick.

“The drones pick fruits individually, like a bird,” said Hanrahan.

Writing to the Capital Press from Berlin, Tevel’s founder and CEO, Yaniv Maor, said he is currently demonstrating his system to European growers. This fall, Tevel will expand into the U.S., trialing drones in Washington orchards.

Hanrahan said Tevel appears to be “on the fast track” to commercialization.

A third player is California-based Advanced Farm Technologies, run by young tech entrepreneurs and backed financially by Kubota, Yamaha Motors and other investors.

Advanced Farm Technologies recently developed a robotic strawberry harvester and is moving into apples.

Fall 2021, the company’s developers visited Washington to see growers’ needs and test equipment.

“These guys are very smart and they’re approaching it quite well,” said Jeff Cleveringa, who is on the research commission and in charge of research and development at Starr Ranch Growers, a grower-packer-shipper.

Peter Ferguson, Advanced Farm Technologies’ director of business development, said the new robot will look similar to the strawberry harvester but tailored to apples. Washington trials will begin Aug. 1.

The final company is Abundant Robotics, founded in 2016 in Hayward, Calif.

Pre-COVID, Abundant appeared to be leading the race to commercialization and had financial backing from major funders including Google Ventures.

In 2021, however, Abundant Robotics shut down. A memo said the company “was unable to develop the market traction necessary to support its business during the pandemic.”

In October, the firm Wavemaker Labs purchased Abundant’s IP and relaunched the brand under the new name Abundant Robots.

Buck Jordan, Wavemaker’s CEO, leads the newly resurrected Abundant Robots. The firm is planning a crowdfunding seed campaign and is re-designing the robots.

Currently, Jordan said, Abundant’s robotic arm can pick an apple every 1.5 to 2 seconds.

“We think there’s a path to 1 second,” said Jordan.

The company plans to run field trials starting fall 2023.

Cleveringa, of Starr Ranch Growers, said he’s glad “multiple good candidates” are creating robots, but he anticipates the industry is still five years out from widescale commercialization.

Tim Kovis, Washington State Tree Fruit Association’s spokesman, said growers are preparing by planting new orchards at high density with trellising or fruiting walls — ideal configurations for robotic harvesters.

An earlier version of this story misnamed “Abundant Robots” as “Abundant Robotics.” Abundant Robotics was the company’s former name before new owners bought its IP in 2021; the re-launched brand is now Abundant Robots.