Meet Mahla Nejati, PhD student.
“My most memorable moment: seeing the robot pick a kiwifruit for the first time”
Multipurpose Orchard Robotics was an awesome project that developed new orchard automation technology for pollination and harvesting of fruit such as kiwifruit and apples using a new multi-purpose autonomous robot. It gave me the opportunity to combine theory and practical experiences. I worked on the vision system of this robot.
The most interesting part was seeing the integration of my work with other parts of the robot. It was exciting to see my theoretical methods working in the real world was exciting and knowing that my PhD study is helping to solve future food issues.
What would you say to future roboticists?
Pursue your dreams. If you think there is a task that a robot can simplify, then it is possible that it will happen in the future with advances in current technology. Read and test all reasonable methods, you will find a solution, you just need to test all wrong ways to find the right solution.
If your robot had a voice what would it say to the other orchard machines?
“I am here to help you and reduce your workload”