Robots To Replace Migrant Fruit Pickers

[aaron]

Vicissidude sends us to Wired for a look at a fruit-harvesting robot being developed in California. Its development has been funded entirely by agricultural associations, concerned by the uncertainty surrounding migrant immigrant labor. Quoting: "As if the debate over immigration and guest worker programs wasn't complicated enough, now a couple of robots are rolling into the middle of it. Vision Robotics, a San Diego company, is working on a pair of robots that would trundle through orchards plucking oranges, apples or other fruit from the trees. In a few years, troops of these machines could perform the tedious and labor-intensive task of fruit picking that currently employs thousands of migrant workers each season."Read more of this story (http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/22/2326203&from=rss) at Slashdot.
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[ComputerDude]

I for one would like to welcome our new fruit-picking overlords.

[timforjesus]

didn't I tell you... machines will rule the world.. muahahahah

[58ford]

Where are the Neoludites when you need 'em?

[58ford]

I remember as far back as the early 80s reading about scientists trying to engineer square tomatoes with tougher skin so they could be picked by machines.

[58ford]

I just want one migrant, he can sit on the back steps & I could yell out the window, "Jose, dos tomatoes Por favor & step on it." Then he could run over to my neighbor's garden & steal 'em for me.