Brad Hamner of Carnegie Mellon University walks alongside an autonomous vehicle as it moves down the rows in Washington State University’s research orchard near Wenatchee. The question is not whether scientists can develop robotic pruning, tree training, and fruit picking systems. The question is how soon growers can adapt their orchards to accommodate them, a robotics expert says. Scientists across the country are working on a $6 million, four-year project to develop automated equipment for apple production. A team at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania has developed a prototype of an autonomous vehicle designed to be used for a variety […]