机器人可被用于采摘草莓——莎伦·爱德华兹（Sharon Edwards），政治记者，2026年10月9日政府宣布将在英国全国范围内设立8个新的“机器人应用中心”（Robotics Adoption Hubs），以向希望采用最新技术并实现自动化的企业和公共服务机构提供咨询与支持。这些中心将获得总计4000万英镑的资金支持。
Robots can be used to pick strawberries Sharon Edwards Political reporter 9 October 2026 Eight new Robotics Adoption Hubs are to be rolled out across the UK, the government has announced. The hubs will get £40m to offer advice and support to businesses and public services looking to use the latest technologies and switch to automation.
其中一个中心位于纽卡斯尔（Newcastle），旨在帮助医疗行业引入机器人辅助手术技术；另一个中心位于林肯（Lincoln），则致力于为农业和食品产业提供技术支持，例如开发自动水果采摘设备。
One, in Newcastle, will help healthcare providers adopt robotic-assisted surgery while another, in Lincoln, will assist the farming and food industries with innovations such as automated fruit-picking machines.
人工智能与机器人技术部长卡尼什卡·纳拉扬（Kanishka Narayan）表示，将机器人技术应用于英国经济的各个领域，能够“加速英国的再工业化进程”。在林肯农业食品技术学院（Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology）宣布新建一个耗资630万英镑的“HARVEST中心”时，纳拉扬表示：“只要我们紧跟技术发展的步伐，英国的创新成果完全有能力在国际市场上取得成功。”
AI and Robotics Minister Kanishka Narayan said harnessing robotics "in every sector of our economy" could "speed up how we reindustrialise the UK". On a visit to Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology to announce a new £6.3m HARVEST hub, Narayan said he was "confident" British innovation "can stand the test internationally if we keep up the future of technology".
他现场观看了自动化机器人在草莓田中作业的场景：有些机器人负责采摘果实，有些则在耕过的田地里作业；还有一些机器人通过发射强光来杀死土壤中的杂草。
He was shown automated robots moving along strawberry crops, another moving across a ploughed field and a third shooting pulses of concentrated light on to soil to boil and kill the cells of a weed.
纳拉扬指出：“农民在需要采摘水果时常常难以找到足够的劳动力，这导致生产成本大幅上升。显然，农业领域已经发生了巨大变化，我们的任务是帮助农民继续维持他们的生计。”他还提到：“我亲眼见证了这项技术在联合收割机以及乳制品生产中的广泛应用，它对英国农业产生了深远影响。我希望今天的这一宣布能为农业产业的转型带来积极贡献。”
"Farmers are really struggling to be able to find workers to pick fruit when they need them and in some cases that means a big change in the cost, and so clearly that element of farming has changed and the question is how we can support our farmers to stay in business," he said. "I've witnessed first hand, even in combine harvesters and robotics in dairy farming, how much of a change that's made in British farming by this technology and I'm hoping today's announcement will make a big contribution to that."
林肯大学农业食品技术学院的西蒙·皮尔森（Simon Pearson）教授表示，这些新中心将为农业和食品行业引入先进的技术，从而推动英国的再工业化进程。
Local Democracy Reporting Service AI and Robotics Minister Kanishka Narayan says robotics could speed up the reindustrialisation of the UK Professor Simon Pearson MBE of the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology, part of the University of Lincoln, said the hub would introduce the new technologies to the farming and food sectors.
“无论是在农场还是食品工厂，行业都需要机器人来提高生产效率；因此，这个机器人技术推广中心将会将食品企业和机器人制造商紧密联系在一起，”他说。
"Industry needs robots to drive productivity, whether it's on farms or food factory, so the hub will bring the food and robot companies together," he said.
“农业正在以惊人的速度发生变化，但目前在盈利能力、劳动力获取以及气候变化等方面仍面临诸多挑战。虽然这些技术无法彻底解决这些问题，但它们确实能提供一定的帮助。”
"Farming is changing at a phenomenal rate and it's very difficult with profitability, labour access and climate issues and these technologies won't resolve those issues but they will help.
“该推广中心汇聚了世界级的食品和农业企业，其中包括 Dyson Farming。要成为世界级的企业，就必须具备国际竞争力；如果我们不在林肯郡实现这一目标，其他国家就会抢先一步。”
"We have world-class food and farming companies in the hub, including Dyson Farming, and to be world-class you've got to be internationally competitive and if we don't do it in Lincolnshire other countries will do it."
Earth Rover 公司开发的 CLAWS 机器人可以通过发出光束来自动除草。目前共有八个机器人技术推广中心：
Earth Rover's CLAWS robot can automatically weed using bursts of light The eight new Robotics Adoption Hubs are:
- 纽卡斯尔外科培训中心（Newcastle Surgical Training Centre）：专注于外科手术领域中的机器人技术应用。
Surgical Hub for Adoption of Robotic Practice (SHARP) based at the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre.
- 大西南地区机器人技术推广中心（Greater Southwest Robotics Adoption Hub）：支持海洋运输、能源以及食品包装等行业中的机器人技术应用。
The Greater Southwest Robotics Adoption Hub, supporting robotic adoption in industries such as maritime, energy and food packaging.
- HARVEST 中心：致力于推动服务机器人、无人机和无人驾驶汽车的研发与推广。
The HARVEST Hub.
- 米尔顿凯恩斯机器人技术推广中心（Milton Keynes Robotics Adoption Hub）：协助服务机器人、无人机及无人驾驶汽车的研发与普及。
Milton Keynes Robotics Adoption Hub to support the rollout of service robots, drones and driverless cars.
- 威尔士机器人技术推广中心（Hwb Llwybr Roboteg Cymru）：为制造业企业提供技术支持。
Hwb Llwybr Roboteg Cymru, supporting manufacturing firms.
- 国家废物与回收机器人技术推广中心（National Waste and Recycling Robotics Adoption Hub）：位于英国东南部，致力于推动废物处理和回收领域的机器人技术应用。
National Waste and Recycling Robotics Adoption Hub, based in the South East.
- 约克郡机器人技术推广中心（Yorkshire Robotics Adoption Hub）：与布拉德福德（Bradford）和哈德斯菲尔德（Huddersfield）的大学合作，帮助制造业企业实现自动化升级。
The Yorkshire Robotics Adoption Hub, working with universities in Bradford and Huddersfield to support manufacturers with automation.
- 南威尔士机器人技术推广中心（South Wales Robotics Adoption Hub）：位于斯旺西（Swansea），致力于帮助小型企业采用机器人技术。
South Wales Robotics Adoption Hub, based in Swansea and supporting small businesses to adopt robotics and automation.
除了这八个推广中心外，该项目还将提供 250 万英镑的资金，用于支持 12 个项目的发展，其中包括赫尔（Hull）地区的港口与物流机器人技术应用项目。
As well as the eight hubs, the programme will provide £2.5m to support 12 projects to develop practical robotics training and apprenticeships, including the Port and Logistics Robotics Adoption Programme in Hull.