Jun 17, 2026
Products
Supporting Agriculture with a Strawberry-Picking Robot End Effector
Strawberries are an essential part of many cuisines and desserts. Underneath the surface, however, the process of growing and harvesting this widely popular fruit faces an increasingly dire labor shortage thanks to the aging population and declining birthrate. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that the majority of harvesting work has to be done during a specific season. On top of that, the instability of global food supply and demand is driving a greater need for automation in the agricultural sector to maintain and boost productivity.
To address these challenges, THK has developed a fruit-picking robot end effector (hand) that specializes in harvesting strawberries. In this article, we’ll discuss why this product was developed, share the design considerations that allow it to perform well in narrow growing environments and avoid harming fruit, and introduce an example that shows the benefits reaped by using the end effector in a greenhouse.
Labor Shortages and Global Food Challenges
With an aging population and fewer young people entering the field, the Japanese agricultural industry is struggling with an intensifying labor shortage. Workloads are especially pronounced during peak harvesting seasons, and farms are having a hard time securing enough labor to maintain stable production.
Source: Number of Agriculture Management Entities by Age Group of Owner (Individual Management Entities); Agriculture Management Entities; “Census of Agriculture and Forestry”; e-Stat; Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?stat_infid=000040483794
https://www.e-stat.go.jp/dbview?sid=0001926075 (Available in Japanese only.)
Meanwhile, around the world, there is growing concern that climate change, international conflict, and supply chain disruptions are making food supplies less stable. Although the causes may vary by region, the end result is the same: greater productivity and stronger supply networks are needed.
Under these difficult circumstances, greater hopes are being placed in automation and more efficient harvesting methods.
In the spirit of our corporate philosophy of providing innovative products to the world and generating new trends to contribute to the creation of an affluent society, THK has taken up the challenge of solving these problems plaguing the agricultural sector.
Why a Strawberry-Picking Robot?
Strawberries are easily damaged due to their soft skin, so the ideal harvesting method avoids touching that part of the fruit. People have traditionally picked strawberries by hand, and when raising seedlings to cultivation in greenhouses, most of the labor input occurs during the harvesting season.
With that being the case, there is a growing need to implement fruit-picking robots to boost harvesting efficiency and reduce the amount of labor required.
In addition to eliminating labor shortages during peak harvesting season, fruit-picking automation is also expected to improve the working environment, stabilize productivity, and promote consistent quality through more accurate harvesting. Because strawberries are a crop with high added value, they make it especially easy to forecast the return on investment in automation.
Considering these factors, strawberries seemed the best place to start with a specialized solution that could later be expanded upon. This line of thinking spurred THK to develop an end effector that can pick strawberries while only touching the stem and calyx of each fruit.
Important Considerations for the Fruit-Picking Robot End Effector
The overall performance of a robot relies heavily on the end effector equipped to it. This component has to satisfy a long list of requirements; it has to be able to reach the fruit, hold it securely, and cut and pick the fruit accurately, all while not damaging it or the rest of the plant. Especially for crops like strawberries that are a jumble of leaves, stems, and fruit, harvesting efficiency is determined by how well the robot can pick the fruit it's aiming for. The durability of the robot and how easy it is to maintain and replace the blade on the farm are also important factors. All of these considerations were holistically taken into account as THK worked to design, fabricate, and validate this end effector.
Designing a Hand Optimized for Picking Strawberries
THK's fruit-picking end effector boasts the following features.
- Nondestructive (prevents collateral damage)
Fruit often gets cut and bruised during harvesting, but the shape and trajectory of the end effector minimizes contact with the fruit and surrounding leaves and stems to curb that kind of damage. This helps maintain fruit quality and achieve consistent shipping volumes.
- Navigates cramped spaces
This slender mechanism can reach, pluck, and cut fruit even in cramped spaces obstructed by leaves and vines. That means that even fruit that was hard to reach with traditional methods can now be harvested reliably.
- Very small stems
The mechanism presses the blade against the calyx when cutting, which minimizes the size of the stem left on the strawberry. This helps prevent damage to other strawberries during packing and transport, preserving the overall condition of the fruit.
- Easy blade maintenance
The blade is designed to be easy to replace and adjust, reducing the burden of maintenance and management on the farm. Since the blade isn't too sharp, there's no unnecessary wear and tear, and it doesn’t need to be changed as frequently.
No Damage to Floors Even When Harvesting Vertically
Because of how they grow, some fruits have to be harvested from directly above. When the fruit is right next to the floor, there is a concern that general end effectors equipped with blades may damage that surface. However, this product is structured so that fruit can be picked up and cut safely, without scratching up floors or causing excessive wear on the blade.
THK has come up with this new, optimized mechanism for fruit-picking robots by combining information gathered through a multifaceted study of market needs with our 20-plus years of experience in consumer markets. Our product also underwent proof-of-concept testing before going on the market, allowing us to offer a solution suited for real-world applications.
Patent Acquisition and Sales History
This product has been patented in Japan, and patents are pending elsewhere in the world as well. It has already been sold to a number of other companies and refined based on feedback from farm workers. By incorporating their input into the design, we are enhancing its performance in real-world agricultural operations.
Because the end effectors used for fruit-picking robots are so crucial for determining the effectiveness of harvesting, customers who have purchased from us tended to be very cautious at first when it came to sourcing an end effector externally. However, thanks to our concerted efforts to develop and refine this fruit-picking end effector, we've had more opportunities to help them understand the advantages of THK's solution. In fact, more and more customers have been fully entrusting the development of these end effectors to us in recognition of the fact that these kinds of products are our specialty. As of June 2026, this particular product has made it through about three years of development, and we will continue to refine it to further enhance its performance.
Developing fruit-picking robot end effectors that can accurately pick and cut even hard-to-reach fruit in a nondestructive way is very challenging on a technical level due to the many strict requirements that all have to be satisfied. However, we anticipate that the techniques and expertise we hone in the strawberry-picking field can be applied to other crops and products as well, providing opportunities to expand our technology and its applications in the future.
Future Technological Developments for Solving Agricultural Challenges
We are continuing to develop this product to expand its application to peppers, tomatoes, and other crops.
If you are a company or research institution looking into developing a harvesting robot, we hope you will consider using THK's fruit-picking robot end effector.
We will strive to refine and enhance our fruit-picking end effector even further while partnering with robot manufacturers and systems integrators to help promote the widespread adoption of harvesting robots and agricultural automation.
* This product is in development and is made to order. Prices and shipping times may vary based on product specifications. Contact THK for details.
If you are interested in this product, please contact us below.
* This content is based on information that was released in Japanese on June 17, 2026.