Mizrach, Amos, Agricultural Research Organization,, Volcani Cent, Bet-Dagan, Isr, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Cent, Bet-Dagan, Isr
Nahir, David, Agricultural Research Organization,, Volcani Cent, Bet-Dagan, Isr, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Cent, Bet-Dagan, Isr
Ronen, Beni, Agricultural Research Organization,, Volcani Cent, Bet-Dagan, Isr, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Cent, Bet-Dagan, Isr

A 3-mm-diam pin was used as a mechanical thumb to sense firmness of orange fruit and tomatoes. Stiffness of fruit showed linear relations between deformation and load applied. Two firm measuring devices were developed, one based on a go-no-go method to differentiate between firm and soft oranges, and the other based on a continuous deformation method to differentiate between hard green, firm red and soft tomatoes.