A harvesting system has a climbing unit with a body driven by traction wheels, a control unit, an articulated arm with a cutting implement at an extremity, a video camera focused on the cutting implement, and a computerized portable control station having a display and a user interface with inputs operable to control driving the traction wheels of the climbing unit, the articulation of the articulated arm, and the cutting implement. Video streamed in real time from the video camera is displayed on the display screen, and a user viewing the video display operates the inputs to position the cutting implement to cut a stem of a fruit or nut in the tree.