Wild berries and mushrooms are considered to be a national treasure of Nordic countries. These food products require zero resources to cultivate as they grow naturally in the forests. It is estimated that less than 10% of the total annual wild berry crop is harvested from the forests. The main challenge in collecting wild berries lies in the manual forest harvesting, namely pickers’ working conditions. Due to the short season, the majority of the work is conducted by foreigners with limited knowledge of the language, culture and forests. 

The FEROX project aims to utilize advances in AI, data and robotics to improve the working conditions of wild berry pickers and optimize picking operations. FEROX started on September 1st, 2022 and will last 3 years.

Pitch of project coordinator Paul Chippendale about aims and planned activities: