I discussed robots in Health Attitude, including my own 2014 experience with robotic surgery. Robots will play an increasingly important role in healthcare, especially in home healthcare. Robots are becoming commonplace in many industries. In Japan, agricultural tasks are a prime example. Birthrates are decreasing and the population is aging. There are not enough workers to harvest tomato crops.

Agricultural robots were exhibited by businesses and universities at recent trade shows. A company called Squse has developed an Automatic Tomato Harvesting Robot. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is subsidizing the development.

The tomato-red robot has a camera and a sensor which can detect the distance to the tomato on the vine. The tips of the two robotic arms can reach out and harvest a tomato in 20 seconds. The company thinks it can reduce that to six seconds. Read the full article here. Read more about robots in healthcare in Health Attitude.