Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts • Hacker News Board

Re: Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts

#41

Post by toast0 » Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 4:13 AM UTC

vikrantrathore wrote: post #10

This is good as a learning exercise and may be result in something useful in future. So for sake of learning and advancement good. As far as claims to replace coconut harvesters, a bit of a stretch to probably attract funding with marketing. Why not built a mechanical crane with a platform to help the worker to do better job with safety at heights to harvest a coconut and than apply the same for multiple tasks like r…

You could probably use a scissor lift; but it's pretty expensive; someone said the trees are 15m, a new scissor lift that goes that high is in the neighborhood of $40k USD, in the US. Most likely more expensive in India.

Re: Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts

#42

Post by ponker » Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 4:15 AM UTC

thaumasiotes wrote: post #36

wraptile wrote: post #23

There recently was a huge controversy in Thailand about using monkey labor for coconut harvesting which resulted in many shops and even countries considering banning thai coconut milk. [1] Since then I've been thinking: why is it so difficult to harvest coconuts? Surely a pair of long clipper or some sort of stick-like device ought to do it? I've popped a few coconuts myself of trees, it's not that complicated, right…

> There recently was a huge controversy in Thailand about using monkey labor for coconut harvesting Well, I read the article. Why exactly is this supposed to be a problem? By all accounts, it's a good idea that works well.

Many people have more empathy for animals than for humans. The idea of a monkey forced/encouraged to climb a tree for a coconut tugs at their heartstrings the way a person does not.

Re: Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts

#43

Post by samatman » Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 4:18 AM UTC

aussieguy1234 wrote: post #2

I'd doubt this will end the exploitation of the slave monkeys that are forced to pick coconuts. They're likely cheaper than a robot. For this reason, I don't buy coconut products from Thailand. https://investigations.peta.org/monkeys-abused-coconut-milk/

Just out of idle curiousity, are you the sort of person who would describe a pack mule as a slave? Sheep dog? Service animal?

This isn't intended as a 'gotcha', everyone has a line. Given that you're willing to quote PETA without spitting on the ground, I'd infer that you are far into the animal rights, militant vegan camp? Is that fair?

Re: Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts

#44

Post by ssaannmmaann » Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 4:18 AM UTC

I wish the students and the teacher the very best.

Here is another one that Youtube suggested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7ip4G-QwDw

Re: Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts

#45

Post by culturestate » Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 4:20 AM UTC

rootsudo wrote: post #30

I enjoy the conversation here. So many people are assuming there is true thought in OPEX, CAPEX, and employer rights and employer safety in these operations. As others mentioned, Thailand used Monkeys. There is so much of a disconnect between this crowd and the farmers and the people this robot will actually replace. What is the average annual income of a farm hand in Thailand, Philippines, or any country that has co…

> There is so much of a disconnect between this crowd and the farmers and the people this robot will actually replace.

I look at it this way: these machines allow farms to replace workers from one, evidently shrinking pool of semi-skilled labor (farmhands who can and are willing to climb a coconut tree) with workers from a different pool (people who can be trained to operate a remote-controlled robot) that's growing.

This article and the comments here make it seem like coconut harvesters are mostly freelance farmhands, so I could imagine a scenario where you end up with, you know, Uber for coconut harvesting. There's no reason the farms need to really care about the costs associated with owning the machine, when other people can take on that responsibility and compete with one another to offer farmers the lowest cost per coconut.

Re: Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts

#46

Post by aaron695 » Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 4:21 AM UTC

I'd be going drones if doing anything techy as a solution to pick coconuts.

I feel like specialist equipment is going to cost to much IRL.

Drones will continue to advance and have more people who can work with them.

Not saying drones would be cost effective either, but I think at least you can pivot.

Also see Sreamers - https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0114367/

Re: Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts

#47

Post by jelliclesfarm » Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 4:21 AM UTC

dxbydt wrote: post #21

I grew up in a remote village in south India. We had over two dozen coconut trees in our yard. I made a long loop in the mud that went around all these trees. I'd pull water out of the well using a rope & pulley & pour it down the loop. The water would wind its way until it reached all the two dozen trees. About an hour of this water pulling & the loop would stay wet for a few hours. This sort of manual work was stan…

I visited South Indian villages during summer vacations and my grandfather had 5 coconut trees in his urban garden. Someone will come by to climb and harvest the coconut when it’s time to get them down. One of my fav memories is him tossing green coconuts into the water well during summer. It will keep cool even when it’s crazy hot temperatures and we will just fish one out when the kids get thirsty.

Tender green coconuts will float because of the fibrous outer covering. Climbing the trees was dangerous and seemed scary. Coconut trees have no branches and it’s literally climbing all very rough tall pole barefoot. Amazing. I can understand why there’d be a shortage. The coconut climber was always in demand!

Re: Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts

#48

Post by jelliclesfarm » Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 4:24 AM UTC

Hokusai wrote: post #6

> As the population increasingly moves towards tech jobs, there's now a shortage of coconut harvesters in India. This seems a very bold claim. I can believe that there is a shortage of people willing to do this job, but it is very hard to believe that the reason is the tech jobs. Even in the USA IT workers represent less than 5% of all jobs. Otherwise interesting how automation is increasing around the world.

It is now possible to educate even the poorest kids to become tech workers. Many leave their villages and move to cities. I can believe it. Tech has truly created massive upward mobility and raised so many people out of crushing poverty. It is actually remarkable and something that always amazes me..this power of education.

Re: Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts

#49

Post by jelliclesfarm » Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 4:27 AM UTC

just4tscomment wrote: post #11

Hokusai wrote: post #6

> As the population increasingly moves towards tech jobs, there's now a shortage of coconut harvesters in India. This seems a very bold claim. I can believe that there is a shortage of people willing to do this job, but it is very hard to believe that the reason is the tech jobs. Even in the USA IT workers represent less than 5% of all jobs. Otherwise interesting how automation is increasing around the world.

I find that claim fairly dubious as well. The primary job killer currently is COVID-19, and it has hit India hard. There are numerous restrictions on labour and several farmhands $migrant workers from other states$ have returned home. This news report, dated August elaborates: https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/future-looks-bl... Worth noting that the university in question is situated in the same provinc…

Point to note: migrant workers from other states are needed to work in the southern farms. The missing farm labour force are invisibly employed elsewhere. I would wager that it is in the tech sector.

Re: Indian robot climbs trees to harvest coconuts

#50

Post by culturestate » Tue, Sep 22, 2020, 4:28 AM UTC

dehrmann wrote: post #39

I don't know that much about coconuts, but I grew up in an agricultural region of the US. Practically everything than can be easily mechanized has been, or people are working on it. Coconuts are large and hard, so they're much easier to mechanically harvest than something like berries. The big difference is coconuts aren't produced in rich countries where labor is expensive.

> Coconuts are...much easier to mechanically harvest than something like berries. The big difference is coconuts aren't produced in rich countries where labor is expensive.

To harvest berries or olives or apples, something in the vicinity of "put a tarp down and shake the tree really hard" is usually a fairly reliable method. Coconuts don't quite work that way, as anyone who grew up in a place with coconut palms and tropical storms can attest.

Not to mention that they're often 30 feet or more off the ground...