Monash University’s Monash Apple Retrieving System (MARS) apple harvesting robot won Victorian Project of the Year at the 2023 Engineers Australia Excellence Awards — People and Projects Victoria.
The Monash University team developed the MARS apple harvesting robot to reduce manual labour dependency, address labour shortages, and improve occupational health and safety. The robot’s advanced ‘soft gripper’ technology and visionary system ensure precise fruit detection and picking, gaining global recognition in the fruit-growing sector. According to Engineers Australia, MARS has potential applications for other fruits and could revolutionise the orchard industry.
“The Engineers Australia Excellence Awards spotlight the best in engineering innovation and highlight how essential engineers are to our everyday lives,” Engineers Australia General Manager Victoria Alesha Printz said.
“It’s our way of putting the best engineering work in the limelight, setting the bar high and inspiring what’s next for our profession,” Printz stated.
Other winners include:
- Dr Daniel Prohasky – Victorian Professional Engineer of the Year
- Adam Jones – Victorian Emerging Professional Engineer of the Year
- Dr Joseph Correnza – Achievement Award: Structural College
The Engineers Australia Excellence Awards aim to highlight and recognise outstanding achievements in engineering. Local winners will represent their division in the national awards ceremony in Melbourne on Wednesday, 29 November.
