WENATCHEE, Wash. — Robots have finished picking apples in small commercial trials in Washington orchards for the second fall in a row, and efforts are likely to continue next fall.

Avi Kahani, CEO of FFRobotics of Emeq-Heffer, Israel, says he has sold one robotic apple harvester in Europe, will test and demonstrate his machine in New Zealand in February and demonstrate and sell them in Washington next fall.

Dan Steere, CEO of Abundant Robotics, of Hayward, California, says his improved machine performed better in Washington trials this fall than last and that “widespread use is definitely something we will be able to realize in the next few years.”

Both companies say their goal is robotic harvesting that costs less than hand picking.

Robotic harvest has been a dream of the U.S. apple industry for years, particularly in Washington where 65% of the nation’s fresh apples are grown. Apples are the state’s top agricultural commodity with an annual farmgate value of $2.5 billion. Oregon also has a substantial apple industry.

Robotic picking could save millions of dollars in labor and alleviate picker shortages.

Currently, Washington orchards employ upward to 50,000 seasonal workers to harvest pears and apples. About 20,000 are foreign workers. Shortages of domestic residents willing to pick have led to increased use of foreign guest workers at high wages that have driven up the pay of all workers, increasing labor costs for growers.

Abundant Robotics began working on its concept in 2013. It tested prototypes, received $10 million from Google Ventures in 2017 and now has raised more than $20 million, Steere said, adding that additional investment will happen “down the road.”

In the spring of 2019, the company took part in the world’s first commercial robotic apple harvest. It was of limited volume in New Zealand.

Similar small commercial trials followed in Washington last fall with a goal of building a fleet for larger contract commercial operations in 2020. But mechanical breakdowns pushed that back.

Too many critical parts broke down too often, Steere said. For example, the robotic arms and mechanisms that do the picking were not durable enough, he said.

Those issues were resolved for this fall’s commercial trials with one picker in several orchards.

“The reliability upgrades were effective, and we picked from August to November with good results. Reports on packouts show we are getting the quality we want,” Steere said.

The picking involved five major varieties, including Gala. The robot is capable of picking one apple per second and has picked 10 to 20 bins in 24 hours. It’s designed to pick 30 to 40 bins, Steere said.

“We’re on track with a system design and to turn our attention to manufacturing and building a fleet to offer service. We’re just not ready to promise a schedule on that next step,” he said.

Washington Fruit & Produce Co. in Yakima and Stemilt Growers LLC in Wenatchee are among the largest tree fruit companies in the state that have allowed robotic harvest testing in their orchards.

Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said technology is progressing rapidly and that when robotic picking becomes widespread it will depend on the efficiency and cost of the technology versus the shortage of hand labor and its “rapidly escalating cost.”

The Abundant Robotics machine consists of a single robotic arm that sucks apples off trees and into a vacuum tube and through a decelerator to deliver them into a bin.

The Israeli FFRobotics is a different design. Three prongs on the end of a robotic arm pick the fruit that rolls by gravity on conveyors into a bin. The machine has 12 arms, six per side.

Kahani won’t discuss the machine’s speed, nor the likely price, but says both will result in a good return on investment for growers.

Steere won’t discuss price, either.

Industry observers have previously ballparked robotic picker prices at about $500,000 apiece.

While Abundant Robotics plans to build a fleet of machines to offer a contract service, FFRobotics will sell its machines, which will be mounted on platforms built by Automated Ag Services of Moses Lake, Washington.

“COVID-19 caused delays in receiving cameras, controllers, etc., from U.S. and European manufacturers, so we missed this harvest season in Washington,” Kahani said.

Tests and demonstrations are taking place in Israel with harvest ending there in mid-December. They will likely continue in February with harvest in New Zealand, he said.

Demonstrations and sales will begin in Washington next fall. Kahani predicts full-scale production with upgrades and new specifications in two years with adaptations to pick other fruits as well.