ROBOTS have been used to pick strawberries at Tiptree's world famous Wilkin and Sons farm as part of a first of its kind experiment. 

Essex University teamed up with the renowned jam makers to test the new prototype. 

The robot, which can harvest and package strawberries in just 2.5 seconds, is part of a project funded by a £1.02million grant from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Farming Innovation Programme.

The project aims to address the labour crisis in the industry.

Dr Vishwanathan Mohan, from the university's School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, said: "Through this project we want to transform how food is grown efficiently using robotics and AI, and make state-of-the-art agri-robotics technologies accessible to everyone.

"Even if smaller farms and businesses can afford a robot, you need a whole fleet of them to make a difference, so it is vital we find cost-effective alternatives to help the agricultural industry with labour shortages."

The robot has been picking strawberries from one of Royal-endorsed Wilkin & Sons’ vertical farms in Tiptree.

The prototype is based on a previous model which has been successfully trialled for the last two seasons.

It is designed to pick the strawberries using a robotic arm, weigh each one, and place it in packaging.

The project aims to reduce the labour-intensive process of crop picking and extend the shelf-life of produce by speeding up the packaging process.

The modular architecture of the robot can be easily adapted to other crops, with trials planned for onions, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Existing crop-picking robots cost around £150,000, but if successful, the new prototype will cost a fraction of the price at around £10,000.

Chris Newenham, joint managing director of Wilkin & Sons, said: "Wilkin & Sons are once again delighted to partner with the University of Essex in tackling what is currently the most significant challenge for our industry.

"Our experience from our initial work with the institution is that these challenges are inordinately complex and take time.

"It is work which is definitely not for the faint-hearted but we are confident that we are working with the very best partners."