A 0.15 kg test object moving at 4 m/s is brought to rest without rebound. The current design stops it in 0.005 s; a compliant collection tray stops it in 0.02 s. Consider only the contact force along the horizontal direction and use average force = momentum change / stopping time. The proposed design can reduce bruising and food waste, but needs extra cleaning and can retain moisture. Evaluate adoption for growers, cleaners and food buyers, using both a force calculation and wider implications. Evidence limitation: Average force is not the same as local pressure on a fruit's skin.

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Momentum-change magnitude 0.6 kg m/s; average force falls from 120 N to 30 N. A conditional, tested adoption is defensible; average force alone does not establish complete safety or best value. The same test mass loses the same speed in both designs, so the impulse magnitude is 0.15 × 4 = 0.6 kg m/s. The longer stopping time changes the force, not the total required momentum change. The original average force is 0.6/0.005 = 120 N and the proposed force is 0.6/0.02 = 30 N. Both act opposite the initial motion. Relate the calculation to the specific benefit: a compliant collection tray can reduce bruising and food waste. The smaller average contact force is evidence for improved performance under this test, not a claim that energy or momentum disappears. Balance that benefit against a practical consequence: the design needs extra cleaning and can retain moisture. Include the needs of growers, cleaners and food buyers, rather than allowing the cheapest purchase price or lowest force alone to decide. A justified recommendation is a monitored trial with a stated acceptance test before broad adoption. Average force is not the same as local pressure on a fruit's skin. Report peak force, durability and relevant access constraints alongside the average-force calculation.

A soft landing for harvested fruit

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