Re: Horses for courses
"From what I've seen automated fruit picking is done by the simple expedient of vigorously shaking the tree."
You probably saw a nut harvester, then. And yes, thanks to their shells and quantities, this is generally the most expedient way to harvest them. But you wouldn't see the same approach taken with, say, drupes, because you'll bruise the fruit, making it unsalable at market.
"But holding it and twisting it off? Not necessarily. A human has only two arms."
But who says there can only be ONE human at the tree? And unlike the robot their dexterity allows them to maneuver all around the tree canopy, plus their sense of touch gives them a better ability to handle the fruit just enough to harvest it without dropping it too far or squeezing it too hard. As mentioned previously, machines have difficulty with the soft touch, especially when the object in question is naturally irregular in shape.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
