Robots in banana patches

31 May 2013 Robots in banana patches could be a reality in Australian within 10 years, according to a University of Sydney robotics expert who will address the banana industry's national congress this weekend. Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems Salah Sukkarieh at the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies is a keynote speaker at Banana Industry Congress being held on the Sunshine Coast. Professor Sukkarieh was invited to speak on industry innovation and will tell growers there is significant untapped potential for the use of robots that work outdoors to provide information and support to banana farmers. While a few banana farms in north Queensland are using some robotics in packing sheds, Professor Sukkarieh sees potential for their use in harvesting as well as other on-farm practices and monitoring. He believes that within five to 10 years robotics can be making a big contribution to the banana industry. "What is preventing it from happening sooner is the lack of funding to develop the technology," Professor Sukkarieh said. "Efficiency can be improved and scalability provided by autonomous harvesters could be possible for banana plantations, and there are other robots that could be deployed for plant health monitoring, pruning and yield monitoring.