Compact engineering instead of oversized, impractical field machinery.
Agripick / RoboCilek
Autonomous strawberry harvesting, built for the real constraints of Turkish greenhouses.
RoboCilek is a purpose-built harvesting system that detects ripe strawberries, calculates the exact cutting point on the stem, and harvests without direct contact with the fruit body. The goal is simple: reduce labor pressure, protect fruit quality, and create a completely stable harvest operation.
Purpose-built for selective strawberry harvesting
Designed around stem-cutting and zero-damage logic
Optimized for controlled indoor and greenhouse environments
Quality protection isn’t an optional feature; it’s the foundation of our business case.
Lowering the barrier to entry for small and medium-sized family farms.
A continuous platform vision built for growth beyond the first prototype cycle.
The Challenge
Strawberry harvesting is too dependent on unstable manual labor.
This is not just a luxury automation story—it is a matter of operational survival. Labor shortages, unexpected wage spikes, inconsistent ripeness judgment, and handling errors are pushing growers into a fragile harvest cycle.
Labor volatility
Farmers constantly face no-show workers, mid-season wage increases, and a dangerous dependence on seasonal labor.
Fruit quality risk
Manual handling frequently bruises fruit, reduces shelf life, and forces producers out of premium export pricing tiers.
Timing sensitivity
Missed or delayed harvest windows directly translate into spoilage, lost revenue, and inconsistent market output.
Operational fragility
Small and medium farms are the most exposed, as they lack the deep margins of large-scale exporters to absorb sudden labor shocks.
The Solution
Connecting AI perception, robotic motion, and precision harvesting into one focused workflow.
RoboCilek is engineered as a highly specialized, high-value harvesting system: identify the right fruit, calculate the exact stem target, and execute the harvest with perfectly controlled motion.
Detect
Advanced camera-based perception identifies strawberries and easily separates fruit from background clutter.
Classify
The system evaluates ripeness in real-time so only harvest-ready fruit enters the cutting pipeline.
Position
Precise coordinate transformation and motion planning guide the robotic arm directly toward the stem cutting point.
Harvest
A clean, stem-based cutting action completes the harvest, prioritizing absolute repeatability and fruit safety over raw speed.
Core Capabilities
Engineered for the capabilities that actually matter to farmers.
We prioritize what growers need most: accessibility, zero fruit damage, practical affordability, and reduced manual dependency—choosing reliable performance over flashy complexity.
AI vision
High-accuracy detection and ripeness logic powered by advanced camera perception.
Stem-cut handling
Harvest actions designed exclusively around the stem, keeping the fruit completely untouched.
Robotic positioning
Multi-DOF arm logic ensuring highly repeatable target alignment within tight workspaces.
Battery-powered
Fully autonomous system logic that doesn’t rely on fixed, expensive greenhouse infrastructure.
Simple operation
Low-friction, intuitive controls for non-technical users with clear status behaviors.
Why This Form Factor
Compact isn’t a compromise. It’s the reality of modern greenhouses.
RoboCilek isn’t pretending to be a giant all-terrain tractor. Its design is strictly shaped by the real-world geometry of strawberry growing environments and the necessity for controllable, precision harvesting in high-tunnel systems.
Our Design Priorities
- Flawless indoor and greenhouse operation
- Surgical precision and repeatability over generic speed claims
- Intuitive, farmer-friendly system simplicity
- Absolute elimination of physical risk to fruit quality
What We Don’t Compromise On
- Adding unnecessary bulk for outdoor field traversal
- Complicating navigation beyond designated crop rows
- Pushing ownership over accessible service models early on
Farmer-Driven Design
Every engineering choice is rooted in actual user needs.
By working closely with local farmers and deeply analyzing operational bottlenecks, we’ve successfully translated field pain points into highly effective design solutions.
The Farmer’s Need
Our Engineering Response
Reduce dependency on manual labor
Fully automated selective harvesting with an incredibly simple operator workflow.
Protect fruit quality to maintain export value
Precision stem-based cutting ensuring absolutely zero contact with the fruit body.
Keep the system understandable and easy to use
Straightforward on-device interaction built specifically for non-technical users.
Fit naturally into existing greenhouse layouts
A compact, highly maneuverable architecture matched perfectly to local production realities.
Commercial Strategy
Scaling through trust, starting with those who need it most.
Innovation requires the right adoption path. We are bringing immediate value to small and medium family farms first, while building the foundation to scale through agricultural cooperatives and major exporters.
5-20 Decare Family Farms
- Highly vulnerable to sudden labor shocks
- Perfect fit for flexible rental and service models
- Immediate need for harvest continuity
Agricultural Cooperatives
- Establishes rapid trust across regional farmer networks
- Enables shared logistics, charging, and maintenance hubs
- Streamlines widespread technological adoption
Large Exporters
- Transition into large-scale fleet ownership models
- Prioritizing massive volume and 24/7 reliability
- Unlocking full potential post-pilot productization
Go-to-market
Harvesting-as-a-Service (HaaS)
Zero upfront risk for the farmer. We provide the harvest, build the trust, and ensure immediate ROI from day one of the pilot phase.
The Roadmap
A disciplined, transparent path from prototype to industry standard.
We aren’t just building a robot; we are building a reliable agricultural platform. Here is our blueprint for the future.
Field Validation & Trust Building
Refining our technology alongside 3-5 partner farms, proving system reliability, and hitting strict zero-damage harvesting goals.
Productization & Standardization
Enhancing hardware durability, rolling out official service playbooks, and establishing a clear 1.5-2 season ROI for growers.
Platform Expansion & Scale
Deploying regional autonomous fleets, integrating AI crop insights, and adapting our precise harvesting tech for other delicate crops.
Pilot Success Metrics
Measuring what matters in the field.
Real innovation is backed by hard data. These are the strict performance metrics that will define our pilot deployments.
The baseline successful extraction rate we demand during initial farm deployments.
Absolute fruit protection. Stem-cutting ensures the strawberry remains pristine.
Focused, high-quality feedback loops established in key regions like Anamur and Silifke.
Our target payback period, transitioning users naturally from service rentals to hardware ownership.
Current Scope vs Next Horizon
Transparent progress. Real expectations.
We believe in building trust through total honesty. Here is exactly what our technology executes flawlessly today, and what we are engineering for tomorrow.
Validated Today
- Consistent indoor and controlled-environment operation
- Highly accurate vision-based detection and ripeness logic
- Damage-free, stem-oriented harvesting execution
- A fully integrated prototype architecture ready for field demonstration
Engineering Next
- Hardware ruggedization for high-humidity greenhouse climates
- Advanced motion planning algorithms for increased speed
- Expanded field validation and deeper customer feedback loops
- Full commercial rollout via HaaS and cooperative networks
The Brains Behind the Machine
Engineering, business, and vision, united.
RoboCilek is more than a robotics project. It is a highly coordinated product initiative where hardware, software, and commercial strategy move in perfect sync.
Hardware Engineering
Designing robust power systems, precision robotic arms, custom actuator controls, and durable structural frameworks.
Software & AI
Building flawless vision pipelines, dataset-driven perception models, and the high-level intelligence that guides the machine.
Business & Strategy
Driving customer discovery, commercialization frameworks, market logistics, and long-term scaling strategies.
Next Step
Ready to move from concept visibility to real pilot conversations?
If you are a grower, cooperative leader, mentor, or potential pilot partner, the next conversation is about harvest reliability, fruit quality, and practical deployment in the environments that matter.
Direct contact: Umut Sukru Kaya sukru.kaya@ug.bilkent.edu.tr