Press Release
Automatic Harvester Robot by Denso Corporation Wins the Platinum A' Design Award in Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design
Denso Corporation honored for robotics, automaton and automation design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 21, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ Automatic Harvester Robot by Denso Corporation has been granted the Platinum A' Design Award in the Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Platinum A' Design Award Means
The Platinum A' Design Award is recognized for honoring designs that stand at the forefront of creativity and innovation. It is the highest accolade bestowed by the A' Design Awards, acknowledging works that blend remarkable innovation with impactful societal contributions. These designs not only showcase exceptional artistic and technical proficiency but also highlight their creators' commitment to advancing the boundaries of art, science, design, and technology. Recipients of this award are celebrated for their role in shaping the aesthetics and trends of our time, contributing significantly to the enhancement of quality of life and promoting sustainable development.
More About Automatic Harvester Robot
Automatic is a harvesting robot made for large-scale horticultural facilities. Automatic moves along rails laid out in the greenhouse and uses cameras and sensors to judge which cherry tomatoes are ripe. An extending arm cuts whole bunches and places them in a towed box. Work can continue at night, which eases labor shortages during peak harvest periods. Rounded surfaces and a pearlescent finish soften the appearance, and indicator eyes visible from any angle show the direction of travel. Obstacles are detected so the machine stops safely.
Award Record
Denso Corporation is a winner of 3 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards span the editions from 2018 - 2019 to 2023 - 2024 of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design Award
The A' Robotics Design Award is an international robotics design competition recognizing good robotics designs by robotics designers and engineers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to robotics designers, automation engineers, robotics brands and robot manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include industrial robots, medical robots, agricultural robots, domestic robots, autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots. Awarded robotics designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/robotics
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/145369
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/145369
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!145369
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/232969
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.denso.com/global/en/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Automatic Harvester Robot
- Function
- Harvester Robot
- Category
- Robotics, Automaton and Automation Design
- Discipline
- Service Design
- Industry
- Manufacturing and Innovation
- Colors
- Light Steel Blue, Silver, Dark Olive Green, White Smoke and Dark Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Denso Corporation
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Platinum A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2023 - 2024
- Design ID
- #145369
Credits
- Team
- Producer:, Hideyuki Nishino, Food Value Chain Business Development Division, Go Handa, Production Eng. Division, Director:, Takaomi Hasegawa, Food Value Chain Business Development Division, Tomoki Ikoma, Design Division, Yuji Kawahara, Mobility Electronics R&D Division, Designer:, Seisho Inada, Food Value Chain Business Development Division, Hiromu Arihara, Production Eng. Division and Yuko Kanda, Jihye Kim, Design Division
- Image Credits
- Designer Yuko Kanda, 2020, Design Division, DENSO CORPORATION /; #5:2020,Public Relations Division, DENSO CORPORATION
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- With a declining number of farmers worldwide, time-consuming harvesting is one area to save manpower. That is why we designed this robot to offer peace of mind when interacting with it. It features eyes that can be seen from any angle, indicating its travel direction and giving it a friendly image while its rounded top surface and pearlescent finish make it unintimidating. Its system allows it to detect obstacles and stop safely, and its top surface is free of bumps where dirt can accumulate.
- Inspiration
- The world population is set to exceed 10 billion by 2050, bringing an increased demand for food. Food shortages will likely intensify in places with growing populations like Asia and Africa, as some areas are not suitable for agriculture. Japan and other developed countries are facing problems like fewer agricultural workers due to an aging and declining population and widespread food waste. By solving these, DENSO's goal is to reform the entire food value chain toward a sustainable society.
- Research
- Denso's goal is to integrate the entire greenhouse process into a system allowing people to do the work best suited to them, while machines do the work best suited to machines, providing local farmers with a lively workplace. The system uses cameras and AI technology to detect bunches, judge ripeness and automatically harvest. Replacing some of the work done by people with machines during peak harvest times reduces the burden on workers so they can work efficiently and not overtax themselves.
- Challenge
- In its early development the robot was angular in shape due to its internal mechanisms and complicated wiring. This combined with its large body size gave it less-than-friendly impression. To create one, we began with the internals, trying to devise a frame layout to achieve a rounded shape while maintaining functionality, and to configure the parts to reduce volume. Also, to facilitate human-robot communication, we designed indicator lights to be visible, so that they would meet peoples' eyes.
- Realization and Technology
- A new level of harvesting technology has been reached via DENSO's unique image processing and robot hand technology. 1. A modular configuration was used for high versatility and to ensure cost reduction and a low barrier to entry. 2. For cleanliness, the top surface has as few recesses for water or dirt to collect as possible and cables are not exposed. 3. To ensure people can work safely with the robot, it features status indicator lights and has a system to detect obstacles and stop safely.
- Operation and Interaction
- This robot harvests cherry tomatoes for large-scale horticultural facilities. It moves automatically along rails laid out in a path on the farm and uses cameras and sensors to which cherry tomatoes are ripe for harvesting. The robot's arm can extend and cut off an entire bunch of tomatoes, which is then placed in a box pulled by the robot. It can even work at night when no one is around, contributing to labor savings, addressing labor shortages, and increasing harvest volume.
- Project Duration and Location
- Design development fully underway in March, 2019. News released in March, 2020. Demonstration unit begins operation at AgriD in Inabe City, Mie Prefecture, Japan
- Specifications
- 1230mm×1320mm×930mm (not including cutters, cables) Chassis weight 300 kg
- Keywords
- automated harvesting, robot, AgriD, cherry tomato, horticulture facility, DENSO, DENSO Design
