Robots to revolutionize US farms, ease labor woes (Update)

Researchers are now designing robots for the last frontier of agricultural mechanization—fruits and vegetables destined for the U.S. fresh market, which have resisted mechanization because they're sensitive to bruising.

University takes on taste challenge: MREs

A ready-to-eat Army meal can survive a 1,200-foot parachute drop and stay fresh for up to three years - only to go straight into the trash can if it doesn't appeal to a soldier's taste.

A shocking (and hot!) tip for preserving produce

Nothing is more frustrating than finding the perfect cucumber or head of lettuce at the farmers market, paying top-dollar for it, and then... tossing it out a week later when it has gone moldy or slimy in the refrigerator.

The natural way to keep fruit fresh and stop the rot

Nearly a third of all the food produced in the world is lost or wasted, according to the UN's World Resources Institute. If we convert this mass into calories, it constitutes nearly a quarter of all food produced, which could ...

Comparing apples and oranges

Every year, U.S. supermarkets lose roughly 10 percent of their fruits and vegetables to spoilage, according to the Department of Agriculture. To help combat those losses, MIT chemistry professor Timothy Swager and his students ...

Oranges and lemons: Spot the difference

A computer recognition system that is 99% accurate can identify different fruits and vegetables, even the particular strain of apples or plums, for instance. Research to be published in the International Journal of Applied ...

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