Professor Richard Green is heading a 5 year, $6 million dollar MBIE funded project “Predicting the unseen: a new method for accurate yield estimation in viticulture/horticulture” also known as the “Occlusion Project”.

Matt Mattar and Sam Heslip are currently scanning vineyards once a week with “Artichoke” their autonomous robot. Every Wednesday they drive Artichoke up the ramp and into the van to drive out to vineyards at Lincoln. There was a lovely springtime atmosphere today created by the deep pink blossom trees outside of the Jack Erskine building where UC Vision is located.

The researchers on the Occlusion team will develop a detailed, accurate digital 3D representation of a physical plant system at multiple growth stages to overcome occlusion, solving the greatest challenge to more extensively automating horticulture.