An automated mushroom harvesting system for mounting to a vertical mushroom rack comprises a robot having a frame mounted to a vertical carriage assembly. A SCARA arm is slidably mounted to the vertical carriage assembly by a vertical stage, operable to move the SCARA arm along a vertical mast. The SCARA arm moves the end effector in a horizontal plane for harvesting mushrooms, above the surface of the mushroom bed and into and out of the confines of the mushroom rack, and the vertical stage moves the SCARA arm in a vertical direction so as to access the mushrooms in a bed and to access mushroom beds on different levels of the vertical mushroom rack. An end effector having a helically reinforced neck and a graduated elasticity modulus, with a lower elasticity modulus in the neck and a higher elasticity in the cup, is also provided.

An automated mushroom harvesting system for mounting to a vertical mushroom rack comprises a robot having a frame mounted to a vertical carriage assembly. A SCARA arm is slidably mounted to the vertical carriage assembly by a vertical stage, operable to move the SCARA arm along a vertical mast. The SCARA arm moves the end effector in a horizontal plane for harvesting mushrooms, above the surface of the mushroom bed and into and out of the confines of the mushroom rack, and the vertical stage moves the SCARA arm in a vertical direction so as to access the mushrooms in a bed and to access mushroom beds on different levels of the vertical mushroom rack. An end effector having a helically reinforced neck and a graduated elasticity modulus, with a lower elasticity modulus in the neck and a higher elasticity in the cup, is also provided.

A factory mushroom picking robot includes a mobile platform, a chassis (100), a lifting device (200), a mushroom stick take-up device (300) and a mushroom picking device (400). The mushroom stick take-up device (300) is configured to take mushroom sticks out of a mushroom rack (4), and the mushroom sticks from different layers are taken through the lifting device (200). The mushroom picking device (400) includes a mechanical arm (402) and an execution end (403). The image data of the mushroom sticks are acquired through three depth cameras. Mushroom targets to be picked are identified through multi-view target matching and are divided in terms of the quality grade, so as to achieve graded picking. A vision-based graded picking method, a mushroom detection and grading method based on multi-view fusion and a non-transitory storage medium of executing corresponding method are further provided.

A method using a system adapted for continuous growth and harvesting of fungal fruiting bodies. The system includes a growth chamber, one or more mycelium feed assemblies, a nutrient reservoir with liquid media, one or more environmental controls to control an environment within the growth chamber and of the liquid media within the nutrient reservoir. One or more mycelium feed assemblies are arranged within the growth chamber. Each of the one or more mycelium feed assemblies includes a nutrient supply member and a mycelium colony which grows around the nutrient supply member, that continuously supplies liquid media to the mycelium colony. The method includes starting one or more mycelium colonies on the nutrient supply member, establishing that a mature colony has formed, and then maintaining the mature mycelium colony by continuous delivery of liquid medium to the mycelium colony, thus allowing for contiguous generation and harvesting of fungal fruiting bodies.

A method using a system adapted for continuous growth and harvesting of fungal fruiting bodies. The system includes a growth chamber, one or more mycelium feed assemblies, a nutrient reservoir with liquid media, one or more environmental controls to control an environment within the growth chamber and of the liquid media within the nutrient reservoir. One or more mycelium feed assemblies are arranged within the growth chamber. Each of the one or more mycelium feed assemblies includes a nutrient supply member and a mycelium colony which grows around the nutrient supply member, that continuously supplies liquid media to the mycelium colony. The method includes starting one or more mycelium colonies on the nutrient supply member, establishing that a mature colony has formed, and then maintaining the mature mycelium colony by continuous delivery of liquid medium to the mycelium colony, thus allowing for contiguous generation and harvesting of fungal fruiting bodies.

A system for growing fungi, the system comprising a nutritive vehicle, a porous material, an administrable space, fungal tissue comprising fungal hyphae having a growth pattern, the fungal tissue connecting said nutritive vehicle to said porous material to said administrable space, wherein the fungal tissue within said space defines at least one successive fungal material layer; and a chemically or physically altered separated portion of fungal material, the separated portion separated from said fungal tissue.

A system for growing fungi, the system comprising a nutritive vehicle, a porous material, an administrable space, fungal tissue comprising fungal hyphae having a growth pattern, the fungal tissue connecting said nutritive vehicle to said porous material to said administrable space, wherein the fungal tissue within said space defines at least one successive fungal material layer; and a chemically or physically altered separated portion of fungal material, the separated portion separated from said fungal tissue.

A mushroom handling apparatus is provided for handling and packing mushrooms grown in a plurality of vertically spaced mushroom growing beds arranged on trays in vertically tiered relationship on shelving The apparatus includes a frame, a mushroom transfer device mounted on the frame and incorporating a guide adapted to extend circumferentially around the mushroom growing beds, a plurality of mushroom holders mounted on the guide at spaced locations therealong, a drive associated with the guide for moving the mushroom holders to transfer mushrooms carried thereon between the mushroom growing beds and a mushroom packing device at one end of the frame, the mushroom packing device including a box support and means for automatically delivering mushrooms from the mushroom holders of the mushroom transfer device into a box located on the box support.

A mushroom handling apparatus is provided for handling and packing mushrooms grown in a plurality of vertically spaced mushroom growing beds arranged on trays in vertically tiered relationship on shelving The apparatus includes a frame, a mushroom transfer device mounted on the frame and incorporating a guide adapted to extend circumferentially around the mushroom growing beds, a plurality of mushroom holders mounted on the guide at spaced locations therealong, a drive associated with the guide for moving the mushroom holders to transfer mushrooms carried thereon between the mushroom growing beds and a mushroom packing device at one end of the frame, the mushroom packing device including a box support and means for automatically delivering mushrooms from the mushroom holders of the mushroom transfer device into a box located on the box support.

A mycelium growth bed for optimal production of pure mycelium or a pure mycelium composite with controlled or predictable properties, the bed comprising a tray, a conveying platform, a permeable membrane, a substrate, and a porous material. The permeable membrane is positioned on the conveying platform within the tray. The substrate is positioned on the permeable membrane and the porous material is positioned on top of the substrate. The system provides a configuration wherein the CO.sub.2 concentration is held above 3%, the relative humidity is held above 40% and the O.sub.2 concentration is held below 20% in steady state conditions to produce leather-like mycelium without fruiting bodies.