Robotics Plus unveils new multi-use autonomous agricultural vehicle

Prospr, now commercially available, allows for multiple swappable attachments depending on the day’s work, including newly released tower sprayers for grapes, apples or tree crops.

The autonomous vehicle uses a combination of perception systems to sense the terrain and environment, enabling new data-driven insights into farming. Each vehicle has its own wireless system, meaning operators can easily manage and streamline their day’s work, and a mesh network means a fleet of machines can be managed simultaneously from a single remote control.

The agriculture industry continues to face unprecedented challenges in increasing sustainable produce whilst also reducing emissions and supply at a lower cost, but Robotics Plus aims to help tackle this with Prospr.

Conscious of the drive toward net-zero, Dr Alistair Scarfe, co-founder and chief engineering officer at Robotics Plus, said: “We’ve put our hybrid power and drive system through its paces and can achieve over 70 per cent reduction in fuel consumption when compared to traditional diesel tractors doing the same job.”

Prospr has an all-electric drive system, regenerative braking and all-wheel-drive, to better control, grip and manoeuvrability. Its onboard power generation, including a Tier 4 diesel generator, means the vehicle can operate for extended periods of time without refuelling or charging.

According to Robotics Plus, Prospr’s small footprint and new steering configuration means ground can be covered faster than when using conventional machines. The vehicle turns on its rear axle with a minimum headland requirement of 7.1m/23ft for row-to-row turning, in comparison to bigger machines that turn on every second row or greater. The vehicle’s lightweight design is also said to reduce ground compaction.

Robotics Plus will unveil its new vehicle at FIRA 2023 this week, a California-based event dedicated to autonomous agriculture and robotics solutions.

In a statement, Steve Saunders, co-founder and chief executive at Robotics Plus, said, “We’ve focussed on utilisation and flexibility with a unique modular architecture, allowing different tools for various crop types and applications year-round to maximise return on investment.

“It’s great to be back at FIRA to launch Prospr, with the first vehicles rolling out to customers this month. It’s a fantastic milestone for the passionate and dedicated Robotics Plus team.”