AI Robotics Project Automates Strawberry Harvesting & Wins UK Award | University of Essex

March 23, 2026 Julia Evans – Entertainment Editor Entertainment

A robotics project at the University of Essex has been awarded the Best Research Project (Industry Collaboration) at the 2026 UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) AI & Robotics Research Awards, recognizing its operate in automating crop harvesting. The project, known as Sustainable smArt Robotic Agriculture (SARA), aims to address challenges in food security, labour shortages, and sustainability within the agricultural sector.

The SARA project focuses on developing low-cost AgriRobotics systems adaptable to various crops, tasks, and growing environments. These systems are designed to automate repetitive and physically demanding farm work, with the goal of reducing waste, lowering the carbon footprint of food production, and lessening reliance on a dwindling agricultural workforce. A live demonstration of the technology, specifically strawberry harvesting, was presented at the Innovate UK Robotics Industry Showcase in March, coinciding with UKRI’s announcement of a £52 million competition for Robotics Adoption Hubs.

The robots are already being utilized in commercial settings. Wilkin and Sons, the renowned jam producer based in Tiptree, Colchester, is employing the robots to harvest strawberries. JEPCO, a growing company operating a farm in Thorrington, near the University of Essex campus, is similarly using the technology. According to Dr. Vishwanathan Mohan, a co-designer of the robots, the system can pick a strawberry in as little as 2.5 seconds, then weigh and package it.

The award citation highlighted the robots’ use of artificial intelligence to automate “repetitive, labour-intensive tasks,” while simultaneously “increasing yield, minimising wastage, carbon footprint and sustaining local production.” The project builds on previous success, having won the Best Demonstration category at the same awards in 2025.

Researchers Professor Klaus McDonald-Maier and Dr. Vishwanathan Mohan have established a spinout company, Versatile RobotX, to further commercialize the technology and expand its reach globally. The project’s development involved collaboration with industry partners including Wilkin and Sons, JEPCO, and GyroPlant.