Artificial intelligence and robotics are taking over the fruit industry – UNITEC unveiled its latest technologies at Fruit Logistica 2025, reducing the need for manual labor and ensuring flawless fruit and vegetable selection.
“Fruit Logistica is an opportunity for us to directly hear what producers need and offer them solutions that revolutionize the way fruit is processed and packed worldwide,” says Nour Abdrabbo, UNITEC’s sales director.
With 100 years of experience, the company develops its systems entirely in-house. This year, it introduced two cutting-edge platforms – Cherry Vision 3.5 AI and Hazelnut Vision 4.0 AI – which use artificial intelligence to analyze and sort fruits with extreme precision, speeding up the process and reducing losses.
Artificial Intelligence Replaces Pickers: Quality Without Compromise
The Cherry Vision 3.5 AI system detects damage, evaluates fruit shape and texture, and removes low-quality specimens before packaging. The Hazelnut Vision 4.0 AI technology enables ultra-precise sorting of hazelnuts – shelled, unshelled, raw, or roasted – by identifying defects, size, and color.
“Climate change and market instability are impacting product quality and delivery times. Our technologies help producers maintain their standards and stay competitive,” emphasizes Abdrabbo.
UNITEC systems already process over 50 types of fruit, and the latest UNIQ line is designed for sorting blueberries, peaches, apricots, cherry tomatoes, kiwis, and mandarins.
Robots Instead of Humans: The Future of Fruit Farming Without a Workforce?
The most groundbreaking innovation is UNI ROBOTICS, an advanced robotic system that fully automates the packaging process. The robot analyzes fruit crates and adjusts its movements in real-time, eliminating the need for manual labor.
UNITEC is already testing its first fruit-picking robots, and if 2025 trials are successful, these new systems could hit the market as early as 2026.
With an average employee age of 34, UNITEC’s engineers and developers are shaping the future of the global food industry.
“Consumers are used to the consistent quality of industrial food products, but fruit naturally varies. Our goal is to provide producers with stable quality, which is crucial for building a strong brand,” concludes Abdrabbo.
