Asparagus harvesting machine shows effectiveness

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009391116_apwaasparagusharvesting.html

The goal of the machine is to cut and gather asparagus ready for market without damaging spears that aren't fully grown, Haws said.

The imposing green machine boasts a row of photoelectric sensors that can be adjusted to the desired height of the spears, 8 or 9 inches.

When a sensor detects a spear as it's driving down rows, it trips an arm with a large tonglike mechanism on the end. The tong closes on the spear and an attached blade cuts it.
[...]
The machine, which is the 15th prototype of the Haws Harvester, is getting close to going commercial, Haws said.

Since the harvest season only lasts a few weeks, there's only a small window of time for testing it each year, he said.
[...]
Joseph Haws, 29, remembers sorting asparagus atop the machine when he was little and is excited by how it has developed over the years.

"It's part of my life," he said. "It's like a younger sibling."

Mediterranean sage, Salvia aethiopis

( I think this is the plant: )