Mississippi State scientists are developing advanced technology to automate blackberry harvesting, traditionally done by hand.
Assistant Professor Xin Zhang and the team are creating a blackberry detection system using AI-driven deep learning, part of a USDA-funded $1 million project.
Collaborators at Georgia Tech are developing a soft touch robotic arm and gripper, while University of Arkansas focuses on post-harvest analysis.
The system, powered by YOLOv8, detects and classifies blackberries' ripeness. Tests show high accuracy: 94% for ripe, 91% for ripening, and 88% for unripe berries.
The team is also developing a mobile app to help growers estimate harvests.
Read full article: MSU
Italian Berry - All rights reserved
