Robotics
We partner with Thorvald and Fieldwork Robotics in experimenting and improving the use of technologies applied to the production of berries.
Thorvald is a multi-functional robot designed to control powdery mildew using UV-C treatment.
The collaboration between Thorvald and The Summer Berry Company began in 2024 with a 9.5-hectare strawberry trial site, which expanded to 22.5 hectares in 2025.
The results so far have been very promising, showing a 38% reduction in synthetic pesticide use and an overall 55% decrease in spray events.
We’re looking to further expand this collaboration in 2026 and beyond. Our team of agronomists is working closely with Thorvald’s team to continue monitoring plant health and improving pest control.
Our raspberry fields in Portugal have been a privileged training centre for Fieldwork Robotics since 2021, when the first prototype started working on the harvesting and forecasting of raspberries. Since that day a lot of machine learning was developed and, consequently, many improvements have been achieved. Now, robots can easily identify ready to pick raspberries whilst being programmed to ignore fruit that is still not ready for harvesting.
Robots walk across our polytunnels autonomously, collecting information that can help our agronomists with forecasting and with the identification of potential diseased plants. They can also be using for spraying; the kind of job that, when done by humans, may pose health and safety concerns.
Check out our latest news updates
