![Yellow robotic arm in a tomato greenhouse](https://www.uoguelph.ca/alliance/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Robot%20with%20tomatoes_Advanced%20robotic%20systems_%28Medhat%20Moussa%29.jpg?itok=T0ErkkZd)
A robot that lends a hand in greenhouses
The labour-intensive task of harvesting and pruning has become a challenge for greenhouse vegetable growers, making up to 30 per cent of their overall costs.
Can robots help?
Prof. Medhat Moussa, School of Engineering, thinks so. He’s developing a robot system he hopes will be able to harvest, package and de-leaf greenhouse crops without assistance from humans. A prototype is currently being put to the test by harvesting tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers—Ontario’s main greenhouse crops—in Leamington greenhouses.