Robots can do a lot. They build cars in factories and sort goods in warehouses. However, there are some things that seemingly appear quite basic in comparison that robots still cannot do perfectly like picking an apple from a tree. Whilst it is a simple thing for a human who can feel around, touch, pull and twist robots, unlike humans, have no sense of touch to tell them if they are squeezing too hard. Creating a robotic implement that can simply pick an apple and drop it into a bin or move a soft tissue in micro surgery without damaging it is a multimillion-dollar effort that has been decades in the making. Teams around the world are trying various approaches; whether it is to replace the labour intensity of parts of the harvesting process, increase the speed of certain fruit preparation steps or master the precise touch and hold specifications for the handling of soft tissue.
