- Lynx M20 robots help transport fruit across steep hillsides in one of China’s best-known bayberry-growing regions
- Deployment marks the latest agricultural use case for quadruped robots beyond industrial inspection
DEEP Robotics (云深处科技), a Hangzhou-based embodied robotics startup, has deployed its Lynx M20 wheeled-quadruped robots in Zhejiang to help transport bayberries during the annual harvest season.
The rollout addresses a recurring logistical constraint in Xianju, a county under Taizhou, one of China’s best-known bayberry-growing regions.
Much of Xianju’s production comes from hilly orchards where farm vehicles cannot enter, forcing growers to carry fruit manually along steep, slippery paths.
Because bayberries are highly perishable and must typically be delivered for processing on the same day they are picked, transport speed is critical during peak harvest.
Addressing logistics constraints
The challenge has been compounded this season by concerns over consumer trust in the broader market.
In May, reports of unauthorized additives being used at some bayberry collection sites in neighboring Fujian’s Zhangzhou region triggered scrutiny across producing areas, including Zhejiang, adding pressure on growers already facing tight harvest and delivery windows.
DEEP Robotics said the Lynx M20 can navigate uneven orchard terrain using onboard sensors that detect rocks, puddles and ditches, and adjust its route in real time.
Its load capacity allows it to carry full baskets of fruit in a single trip, reducing the need for repeated manual transport by workers.
Focusing on harvesting
“The hardest part was never picking the fruit, it was transporting it,” one grower was quoted as saying in local media reports. “We used to spend most of the day walking mountain paths. Now we can focus on harvesting while the robot handles the transport.”
The company has previously deployed its quadruped robots in other agricultural settings, including vegetable transport in Chongqing’s mustard fields and tea-leaf handling in Hangzhou’s West Lake tea plantations.
The bayberry deployment adds to a growing set of field trials as Chinese robotics firms look to expand beyond industrial inspection and security use cases into agriculture, where unstructured terrain and repetitive manual labor present new commercialization opportunities.
