QUEBEC, CANADA - Simplified harvesting and in-depth category insights in one fell swoop? This is exactly what Sami Robotics is bringing to its grower partners with its cutting-edge platform.
“Sami Robotics is building the farmworkers of the future through a multifunctional robotics platform designed for modern agriculture,” explains Teodora Toteva, Head of Operations. “For the beginning, we've been focused on specialty crops such as broccoli and leafy greens, because they require selective harvesting. It's not as simple or straightforward as harvesting corn, for example; specialty crops require a high level of selectivity.”
The SAMI platform combines robotics, artificial intelligence, machine vision, and cloud-connected analytics to automate some of the most labor-intensive tasks in fresh produce production.
The first application is selective harvesting, where robotic arms identify and harvest only market-ready vegetables while discarding defective crops or leaving immature crops for future passes. Sami Robotics has developed advanced AI algorithms utilizing over 25 cameras that enable it to detect different crops, analyze different characteristics such as size and color, and make an intelligent decision about harvesting them or skipping them until the next pass.
“What makes our approach unique is that the machine does more than harvest,” Teodora shares. ”As it moves through the field, it continuously collects and analyzes crop data at the plant level, which can be used for actionable intelligence for growers. This could allow growers to make more informed decisions about harvest timing, labor planning, and marketing opportunities. Our goal is to help growers maintain production capacity while improving efficiency, reliability, and long-term sustainability.”
This could result in a variety of benefits for growers:
- Reduced dependence on increasingly scarce labor
- More consistent harvest timing and quality
- Improved operational predictability
- Greater harvesting capacity during critical harvest windows
- Access to field-level insights that can improve decision-making and profitability
The unique farming solution was designed as a platform rather than a single-purpose machine, with each crop application adding a new capability. This allows growers to benefit from expanding functionality without needing to adopt an entirely new machine.
“Today, our focus is selective harvesting for broccoli and Romaine lettuce, but the same core platform is being developed to support additional crops and applications over time,” Teodora says. “Future opportunities include Iceberg lettuce, cauliflower, artichokes, and other specialty vegetables, as well as field operations such as crop scouting, yield forecasting, pest monitoring, thinning, and weeding.”
The system is also designed to adapt to different farming environments. Machine configurations can be adjusted for various bed layouts, field conditions, and production systems. As growers provide feedback and their operational priorities evolve, new software capabilities and crop-specific models can be deployed to meet those needs.
The platform itself becomes more valuable over time as it continuously learns, improves, and gains new skills through usage.
“Because the machine interacts directly with individual plants, it captures information that traditional scouting methods, drones, or satellite imagery may not capture with the same level of granularity,” Teodora tells me. “Each plant observed becomes another data point, helping build a more complete picture of field conditions. This information can be used to map crop readiness across the field, forecast what areas will be ready for harvest in the coming days, estimate future yields, and improve harvest planning and logistics.”
The idea is to have growers use these kinds of insights to make more informed decisions about labor allocation, harvesting schedules, and market commitments. The same vision and AI systems that identify harvest-ready crops can also detect visual indicators of plant health, including potential signs of disease, pest pressure, or other agronomic issues. Over time, this would create opportunities for earlier intervention and more proactive crop management.
As the company continues to explore these capabilities, its field analytics and insights feature is not expected to be commercially available before 2027.
With this innovative harvesting solution, Sami Robotics is aiming to simplify a labor-intensive production process while arming growers with the data to make further operational improvements.
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