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British wine industry secures government funding for robotics project
A pioneering robotics project that will serve the British wine industry has secured more than £475k in Government funding, WineGB has confirmed.
Cambridge-based company Autopickr, which was recently awarded an Innovation in Agriculture award at the 2024 Robotics and Automation Awards for its autonomous robots for agricultural use, aims to create a sophisticated robot that can mimic hand-picking grapes as well as assisting with green harvesting and canopy management.
Currently, most machine harvesters agitate the vines to extract grapes, meaning that whole bunches can only be picked by hand, however many wine producers, particularly those that make premium traditional method sparkling wine, insist on the use of whole bunches.
Autopickr is working with Coopers Croft Vineyard in Suffolk and WineGB on the project which is also supported by Innovate UK and Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme.
The company is currently developing a new robot, named ‘Vinny’, that will be capable of performing multiple tasks in the vineyard. It has previously developed an award-winning automated asparagus harvester, which it hopes to adapt to create a solution that can be used in vineyards.
The robot can travel up and down slopes, operate at fruit zone height, and through a unique artificial vision system, distinguish between unripe and ripe grapes, picking whole bunches once they are ready.
Commenting on the project, Robyn Sands, co-founder and CEO of Autopickr, said the company was pleased to be collaborating with British vineyards to bring the new robotic solutions into the wine industry.
“Our focus is on providing a practical tool that can take on some of the labour demands in the vineyard, especially during the busiest times of the year, while helping maintain the quality that matters so much in winemaking,” he said.
Once developed, the robot will be available to both purchase and rent.
WinesGB’s communications manager Phoebe French added that the project had the potential to supplement skilled labour required in the vineyard, particularly at busy periods such as harvest.
This year, the number of vineyards in the UK surpassed the 1,000 milestone for the first time, to reach 1,033. The area under vine now stands at 4,209 hectares, according to Government data, which represents a growth rate of 123% in a decade. According to the South Downs National Park Viticulture Growth Assessment Report (2021), vineyards employ 17 times more people per hectare than traditional arable farming. With 2,300 people working full-time, and a further 8,300 employed in seasonal or part-time labour in the British wine industry, this robot is intended to help vineyard managers with labour challenges without sacrificing quality and attention to detail.
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