Abstract: A gripping apparatus for pick and place handling of articles, wherein the apparatus comprises: a supporting frame (100); and a pair of gripping fingers (2a, 2b) mounted directly or indirectly to the supporting frame and moveable towards each other so as to grip an article (3) therebetween or moveable apart for conventional release of the article, each finger being faced with a respective facing material web (7a, 7b) which is powered to be moveable over the surface of the finger, whereby an article gripped between the gripping fingers may be picked up, released and/or moved therealong, in use, by movement of the facing material webs and independently of movement of the grippping fingers toward or away from each other.

Abstract: Transplanting equipment comprises a line of individual plant pick-up devices, first support means for transversely moving a first row of containers into vertical alignment with the pick-up devices, control means for bringing the pick-up devices into a plant-supporting or plant-releasing mode as appropriate, horizontal drive means operative to bring the pick-up devices into vertical alignment with the containers of a second row having a different center-to-center spacing to the containers of the first row, second support means for transversely moving the second row of containers out of vertical alignment with the pick-up devices, and vertical drive means for moving the pick-up devices towards or away from the first and second support means to allow the support or release of plants by the pick-up devices as determined by the control means.