The U.S. Tree fruit industry accounts for about 14% (~$22 billion) of all crop production and contributes >$100 billion to downstream economic activities

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Cornell University $5.835 million on July 1, 2026, under the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (Assistance Listing 10.309) to develop automated robotic systems for tree fruit production operations.

Cornell will conduct research and development across three integrated workstreams: analysis of socio-economic impact of horticultural robotics solutions; development of precision canopy management strategies; and creation of novel perception, actuation, and integrated multi-purpose robotic systems. The team includes economists, horticulturists, roboticists, and tree fruit industry partners, partnered with a robotics company to accelerate commercialization. Cornell will validate system robustness in commercial orchards, focusing on harvesting and thinning operations. The project directly addresses SCRI Priority Area 3 on production efficiency and mechanization to reduce manual labor dependence.

Performance occurs at Ithaca, New York, with a period of performance from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030. The award funds research and extension activities intended to yield practical integrated systems that reduce labor dependence, lower labor costs, enhance crop yield and quality, and improve long-term sustainability of the tree fruit industry. Outreach and education activities support development of the next generation of scientists and practitioners to adopt automation and robotics in agriculture.

The long-term sustainability of this industry requires the automation of labor-intensive field operations. We intend to accomplish this with the development of an effective, affordable multi-purpose robotic system and precision canopy management strategies. We propose a socio-economics-driven, horticulture-aligned robotic solution through: i) analysis of the socio-economic impact of an integrated horticultural and robotic solution; II) developing precision canopy management strategies; and III) development of novel perception and actuation systems, and integrated multi-purpose robots. Our team includes economists, horticulturists, roboticists, and tree fruit industry partners. We are also partnered with a robotics company and will use their advanced platform to accelerate commercialization. We will validate the robustness of the system in commercial orchards, focusing on harvesting and thinning. By working at the intersection of social science, biology and technology, and with stakeholders, this project is expected to yield practical integrated systems to automate tree fruit production operations. Commercial adoption of the proposed systems will dramatically reduce dependence on labor, reduce labor costs, enhance crop yield/quality, and improve long-term sustainability of the tree fruit industry, which addresses scri priority area 3: production efficiency and new innovation and technologies. Specifically, this proposal directly addresses the scri priority on advancing mechanization and automation to reduce the need for manual labor. In addition, our outreach/education activities will contribute to developing the next generation of scientists and practitioners to support the adoption of automation/robotics in agriculture.