Swiss mushroom producer Wauwiler Champignons AG has enhanced its harvesting process by introducing "Spotlight," an AI-powered system developed in collaboration with the startup MycoSense. This technology utilizes 3D scanning to identify and highlight ripe mushrooms, improving harvesting efficiency.

Traditionally, training new harvesters could take up to six months. However, with Spotlight, new pickers achieve 30% higher productivity from day one, as the system clearly indicates which mushrooms are ready for harvest. Currently, 28 out of over 100 harvesters are equipped with these devices, with plans to equip all staff in the future. 

The development of Spotlight stemmed from initial efforts to create a mushroom-harvesting robot. Although fully automated harvesting remains unfeasible due to the delicate nature of mushrooms, the project led to the creation of MycoSense and the development of the Spotlight system, which is now used globally.

Source: https://www.lid.ch/artikel/spotlight-pilze-pfluecken-mit-ki