Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Rare Earth Orchard

Doesn't bruise easily
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In the early stages of fruit development, a rare earth (strong) magnet is attached to each fruit.

As the fruit grows to maturity the magnet is incorporated or maintained on the exterior.

When ripened and the fruit falls off the tree, a fancy maglev array hiding under a grass lawn modulates magnetic fields to counter fruit rotation and it's natural inclination to reach the ground.

A robot buggy constructed mainly of plastics runs around deactivating the electro-magnetic suspension allowing the as yet unbruised fruit to fall the remaining 30cm into buggy's padded hopper.

When the fruit is processed for food manufacture, the magnets are recovered.

bigsleep, Oct 07 2009

[link]






       Would a strong magnetic field change cellular growth to give the fruit an attractive taste?
wjt, Oct 07 2009
  

       How would it be attached without puncturing the skin and letting the juice out? Would the weight of the magnet cause them to fall prematurely? And wouldn't it take longer to carefully attach a magnet to each piece of fruit than it would to simply pick them gently? (Neutral)
21 Quest, Oct 07 2009
  

       Well, I've just come from a trip down memory lane researching the band "Rare Earth", but the story gets so convoluted that I'll let you do your own search for an appropriate link.
normzone, Oct 07 2009
  

       Nets.
8th of 7, Oct 07 2009
  

       Immigrants too.
Cuit_au_Four, Oct 11 2009
  

       Are you proposing that the fruit are held, hovering above the ground (Cool!) or held, magnetically to the tree?
UnaBubba, Oct 11 2009
  

       How about a gigantic roving electromagnet surrounded by nets? As the field approaches the fruits, the magnetic force plucks them off the tree, sending them hurtling towards the collection apparatus? Of course, the nets would billow inwards to soften the impact.
Cuit_au_Four, Oct 11 2009
  

       //a fancy maglev array //   

       --- Fancy words for magic.
ldischler, Oct 11 2009
  

       //--- Fancy words for magic.//   

       See appendix A: Flux management system, B: Circuit diagram for power multiplexed array, and C: Controlling software documentation.
bigsleep, Oct 11 2009
  
      
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