Yaskawa rolls out cucumber leaf scraping robot for agricultural automation

March 15, 2024

Full-scale introduction phase begins in collaboration with JA ZEN-NOH

On February 28, Yaskawa Electric announced the launch of the full-scale introduction phase of its cucumber leaf scraping robot, developed jointly with JA ZEN-NOH (National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations of Japan).

The robot is designed to automate the process of scraping off old leaves that deprive cucumbers of nutrients during their growth stage. Trials were conducted at the “Yume Farm ZEN-NOH SAGA” test farm in Saga Prefecture, where the removal rate of unnecessary leaves stabilized at around 70%.

Plans to expand to other crops

With consistent results achieved, Yaskawa and JA ZEN-NOH will move forward with broader deployment. The companies also plan to explore expanding the robot system to other crops such as tomatoes and eggplants, aiming to further support labor-saving efforts in agriculture.