Robotic Apple Harvester by CNH Industrial (Case IH / New Holland, Raven): status and timeline

Robotic Apple Harvester

Pick apples by machine in modern 'fruit wall' orchards. Washington's apple harvest depends on a shrinking, costly seasonal workforce, and picking is the last big orchard job still done almost entirely by hand.

ProtoStage 2 of 5

CNH resumed limited private trials at WSU's Roza orchard near Prosser, Washington, in fall 2026.

Updated 12d agoChecked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Limited private trials resume at WSU Roza orchard

Washington growers pilot the harvester in the 2024 season2024Complete.
advanced.farm runs out of money; 2025 season cancelledMar 2025Complete.
CNH agrees to acquire advanced.farm's assets and IPApr 2025Complete.
Limited private trials resume at WSU Roza orchardTarget Sep 2026Current milestone.

Most important updates

Upcoming

Sep 2026Limited private trials resume at WSU Roza orchard (next)

Current obstacles

Money ran out before commercial launchadvanced.farm shut down in March 2025 after failing to fund another season; the project now depends on CNH's commitment.
Orchards must be shaped for the robotTrees are pruned into flat walls so cameras and grippers can reach fruit; WSU is testing which varieties and pruning suit robot harvest.

Physics limits

Fruit hidden behind leaves can't be pickedA camera only sees what is in its line of sight, and an arm can only reach along a clear path. Apples buried in foliage are missed, which is why robots need flat, open canopies.
A short season has to pay for a costly machineApples are picked over a few weeks a year. Every pick is a see-plan-reach-detach cycle, so the machine must run long hours at a high hit rate to beat crew costs.

How it works

3 parts

See

Cameras find ripe fruit

Vision guidance spots apples on the tree and picks targets for each arm.

Pick

Six arms with suction cups

Each arm reaches in, a soft suction cup locks onto the apple and the arm pulls it free, so fingers never squeeze the fruit.

Drive

Self-driving down the row

The machine drives itself along orchard rows and handles the fruit bins automatically.

Spec sheet

Spec	Robotic Apple Harvester
Picking arms	6^R (reported)
Pick rate (2024 field trials)	~2,500 apples/hour (company figure)^R (reported)
Gripper	Vacuum suction cup^R (reported)
Best suited to	High-density 'fruit wall' orchards^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

3 updates

About CNH Industrial (Case IH / New Holland, Raven)

The team behind Robotic Apple Harvester

CNH Industrial (Case IH / New Holland, Raven)

Farm tractors, combines, autonomy with Raven

CNH Industrial manufactures agricultural equipment under Case IH and New Holland brands. It acquired Raven Industries in November 2021 to add autonomous and precision agriculture capabilities for tillage, harvest and grain carts.

Case IH (1842) and New Holland merged in 1999 to form CNH Global, serving global agriculture.
Acquired Raven Industries in November 2021 for $2.1B to add autonomous and precision capabilities.
OMNiDRIVE retrofit and OMNiPOWER platform enable driverless and remote-operated field work.

cnh.com (opens cnh.com)Company profile →

Founded: 199927 yrs
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Status: Public
Listed: CNH (opens google.com)NYSE
Valuation: public
Staff: ~34,197Jan 2026
Works in: AgricultureSelf-driving tractors
Coverage: 2 programs · 6 updateslatest 12d agochecked 11 Oct
Acquired by: Raven Industries (opens businesswire.com)
People: Gerrit Marx (opens cnh.com)President & CEO

Spec

Robotic Apple Harvester

Picking arms

6^R (reported)

Pick rate (2024 field trials)

~2,500 apples/hour (company figure)^R (reported)

Gripper

Vacuum suction cup^R (reported)

Best suited to

High-density 'fruit wall' orchards^R (reported)

Robotic Apple Harvester

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Cameras find ripe fruit

Six arms with suction cups

Self-driving down the row

Spec sheet

Update log

Tue 29 Sep

Wed 2 Apr 2025

Thu 20 Mar 2025

About CNH Industrial (Case IH / New Holland, Raven)

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Cameras find ripe fruit

Six arms with suction cups

Self-driving down the row

Spec sheet

Update log

Tue 29 Sep

Wed 2 Apr 2025

Thu 20 Mar 2025

About CNH Industrial (Case IH / New Holland, Raven)