2025 Productivity Award Winner

$10K Prize Sponsored by F3 Innovate

Operation Ananas: Pineapple Bloom Identification and Reconstruction for Harvest Optimization and Labor Efficiency

Our Amiga robot and drone system identifies pineapple blooms and reconstructs their positions to optimize harvesting operations and improve labor efficiency, helping local commercial farm, Dole Plantation, overcome workforce shortages and sustain production.

Dole Plantation is the largest and most well-known pineapple producer in Hawai‘i, supplying major retailers such as Costco and Sam’s Club with fresh, locally grown fruit. The farm plays a key role in supporting Hawai‘i’s agricultural economy and works closely with researchers to adopt innovative technologies that improve productivity and address critical labor challenges in the field.

As Pineapple farmers, we face significant challenges in optimizing harvest timing due to the uneven flowering of different field sections, which occurs naturally or through chemical induction. As a result, we must frequently assess whether a harvest is worthwhile, a process that is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and inefficient. These inefficiencies lead to increased operational costs and potential revenue loss from unharvested fruit. Implementing an automated system that can navigate through the field, detect flowering pineapples, and predict optimal harvest timing would streamline this process, enhancing yield management, improving labor efficiency, and maximizing overall profitability.