Israeli Startup bets on AI-powered robots to solve billion-dollar citrus harvesting challenge

Picking an orange may seem like one of the simplest jobs in agriculture, but for citrus growers, harvesting represents a major economic challenge. The market for harvesting oranges and lemons alone is estimated to be worth around $1 billion a year, with the potential market for automated harvesting reaching roughly $10 billion over the next decade.

Now, an Israeli company is betting that artificial intelligence and robotics can transform the way citrus fruit is harvested.

Nanovel is developing autonomous harvesting technology that combines artificial intelligence, computer vision and robotic arms to identify ripe fruit, map its surroundings and carefully remove it from trees.

“First of all, he doesn't complain,” Isaac Mazur, chief administrative officer and founder of Nanovel, said when asked how difficult it is for a robot to pick oranges. “He does the job as he's been trained.”

According to Mazur, the system essentially uses AI as its “eyes and brain.” Cameras identify fruit even when it is surrounded by dense foliage, while the system maps each piece of fruit and its environment before determining how to approach, grip and cut it.

The technology is designed to minimize damage to the fruit, an important consideration for growers because fruit damaged during harvesting can become unsellable.

Nanovel says its system can also offer a significant cost advantage over human labor. Rather than comparing the robot directly with an individual worker, the company measures the cost of harvesting per kilogram. According to Mazur, the company's technology can reduce that cost by about 30%.

But the economic advantage, he argues, goes beyond price.

“More important than that, we are always ready to go. A worker is not,” Mazur said.

Labor shortages and rising wages have become increasingly important challenges for agricultural producers. For growers, Mazur said, robotic harvesting offers the possibility of a workforce that can be deployed when needed and is less vulnerable to fluctuations in labor availability.

The company is initially focusing on citrus because oranges are relatively large and easy for robotic systems to identify compared with smaller or more delicate crops.

“Oranges is what we call the low-hanging fruit,” Mazur said. “It's large, it's very visible, and it's tough to pick for a human being. It's okay for a robot.”

Nanovel's longer-term ambitions extend well beyond oranges and lemons. The company plans to expand its technology to other fruits that require particularly careful harvesting, including stone fruit, avocados and mangoes.

These crops present a different challenge because even minor damage can significantly reduce their commercial value. For such fruit, robotic systems capable of making precise cuts and handling produce gently could offer a significant advantage.

The company has also recently received what Mazur described as a major European vote of confidence, an achievement he said was particularly significant given the competition for recognition and funding.

He said the recognition reflected confidence in Nanovel's technology, its potential value to growers and its ability to execute on a global scale.

Mazur brings experience from the capital-equipment industry, having previously built a semiconductor equipment business. He said that experience is helping Nanovel develop the infrastructure needed to deploy and service sophisticated robotic equipment around the world.

For citrus growers facing rising labor costs and an uncertain workforce, the appeal is straightforward: a machine that can work when needed, pick fruit with precision and potentially reduce harvesting costs.

If Nanovel's technology can scale beyond citrus and into more delicate crops, the company could be targeting not just a solution to a billion-dollar harvesting problem, but a much larger transformation of agricultural labor.