The University of Waikato has entered two special tools designed to support the kiwifruit industry into the Fieldays Innovation Awards.
Te Kura Mata-Ao School of Engineering created a 3D-printed robotic gripper, as well as soft robotic fingers that conform to fruit surfaces, both designed for gentle fruit handling.
The toolswere developed by University of Waikato School of Engineering senior lecturer Dr Ajit Pal Singh and his team of seven.
Singh said the gripper was the component at the end of a robotic system that physically picks the fruit.
“One of the innovations is the actual gripper structure. The other is a soft ‘finger’ that attaches to the structure and gently interacts with the fruit so it doesn’t get damaged.
“If the fruit is bruised or dropped, the benefit of robotic automation is lost. Our designs aim to reduce damage through their soft, flexible contact surfaces.”
Singh said the idea for the innovations was sparked by the horticulture industry’s labour shortage and a desire to reduce waste.
“The labour shortages are putting pressure on the growers to recruit skilled workers ... and if there’s not enough skilled workers on the ground, then there’s a lot of fruit that goes into the waste because it’s unpicked – so they’re losing money.
“Our goal is simple, cost-effective and reliable innovations that in the future get integrated into automated robotic technology and then become available to growers as a potential alternative.”
The team tested the prototypes in the lab and recently started preliminary field trials in an orchard with “quite promising” results, Singh said.
Unlike traditional designs with multiple joints or sensors, the grippers use flexible, single-piece structures that are 3D-printed prototypes.
Dr Ajit Pal Singh (second left) with PhD students Hung Le Phan, Christoff Venter and Eva Prinz.
Due to the grippers’ single-piece designs, they could eventually be manufactured at scale using plastic injection moulding.
Singh said the plan was to test the innovations in the orchard this season before taking them back to the lab to make improvements.
“From an engineering point of view, our focus is on solving practical, real-world challenges.
“This project is a strong example of how innovative design can potentially deliver high-impact solutions tailored to industry needs.”
The University of Waikato’s two tools were among the 63 Fieldays Innovation Awards entrants for 2025.
Twenty of those have been selected as finalists. However, the university’s innovations are not among them.
