- and BC in particular - has always invested in modern, Dutch-style mushroom farms and composting systems. The Dutch-style system of mushroom growing on shelving is widespread throughout the world, so TechBrew Robotics is developing a machine that can be applied universally on growing shelves. These develop- ments make for an interesting conversation with Mike Boudreau, President and CEO of TechBrew Robotics, and Rob Snowden, the com- pany’s Business Development Manager. Problem solving
Mike Boudreau: “We are originally a company specialised in providing solutions to a wide variety of industries. Our focus is food-safe systems, automation and selecting the right resources and materials for robotic solutions in the agricultural sector. Since 2020 we have con- centrated our efforts fully on the mushroom growing sector. We have developed a harvesting robot that can be used with the Dutch shelf sys- tem because most farms in the world use that standardised system.”
Rob Snowden adds: “Since 2020, four robotic harvesters have been used at a large mushroom farm here in BC to pick the mushrooms. Initi- ally without removing the stems, but later the robots could also trim the stems and place the mushrooms in the packaging. They were our 1st and 2nd generation robots. In the meantime, we have developed a 3rd generation to transport the picked and trimmed mushrooms out of the growing rooms, and are currently actively deve- loping the 4th generation. The robots have now all been returned, and the feedback from the farm we cooperated with in this project is posi- tive and encouraging. In Q2 of 2023, the 4th generation will go back to the grower. This unit has a capacity of 20+ picks a minute, which depending on the weight of the mushroom generates an output of 35 to 45 kgs per hour. This robot also trims the mushrooms to the right stem length and positions them cap upwards in the packaging. As soon as the right weight had been reached, the full package is automatically moved further in the process, and it can also be stacked. Our expectation is that in the future one person will be able to supply 20 robots with empty packaging and remove the full packaging.”
Replicating a female hand Boudreau: “The world of mushroom growing is small, everyone knows each other. So everyone told us we couldn’t harvest mushrooms using a suction cup because it would leave an impres- sion on the caps. So what did we do? We decided to go for a suction cup. They all said we were mad. But, up until now, our suction cup has proven to be very successful and picks without
damaging the mushrooms. We used a special material that makes this possible. Don’t forget we have years of experience in selecting and trialling the right materials, and we mounted many other standard suction cups. The art is in replicating how a female picker uses her hands, by placing precisely the right amount of pres- sure on the delicate mushrooms. That is a feat our robot has been able to achieve. The visi- on-guided robot selects which mushroom to pick based on size. The harvest manager can enter the desired picking size for each robot. The camera in the robot scans the bed and selects the mushrooms that match the size criteria. The arm with the suction cap then performs four actions. It descends to bed height and engages with the cap, gently pushes the
‘Everyone told us we were mad,
using a suction cup - so we
decided to go for a suction cup!’
The robot – here in action at a commercial mushroom farm in BC, Canda, has a rate of 20-25 picks per minute, according to TechBrew.
“The suction cup is designed and constructed to prevent damage to the mushrooms.” MUSHROOM BUSINESS 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
