Machinery

First robotic tractor goes to work on Suffolk farm

• Driverless machine weeds leeks in field • Makes light work of repetitive farm jobs • Good performance over range of crops

The UK’s first commercially available robotic tractor has gone to work on a Suffolk farm – weeding leeks and solving a labour shortage.

Better technology – and difficulty sourcing seasonal workers – meant a major investment for Home Farm Nacton on the outskirts of Ipswich. The Robotti 150D from Danish manufacturer Agrointelli is believed to have cost an estimated £160,000.

The fresh produce farm grows both organic and conventional vegetables, including a range of brassicas and root crops.

Right step forward

Home Farm farms director Andrew Williams (right) said he heard about the Robotti from Gordon Cummings, machinery manager at Fram Farmers, who has been researching the use of robotics in the fresh produce sector for the past two years.

Mr Williams said: “Gordon put us in touch with the team at Agrointelli, who have been enormously helpful and knowledgeable. By January, I had approval from Home Farm’s board of directors, who were convinced this was the right step forward.”

He added: “From a business point of view, we are confident that this is where the future lies. A large amount of our produce is organic, so we are increasingly limited in how we can control weeds.

“Mechanical weeding is repetitive work, as is manual weeding, and sourcing seasonal, overseas labour is becoming increasingly difficult. We wanted to future-proof the farm and Robotti is perfectly suited to our set-up.”

The Robotti 150D has now been in operation on the farm since mid-April, weeding a number of vegetable crops using a harrow attachment. Agrointelli says it is one of 50 robots which will be working across Europe by the end of the year.

“It can be in operation 24 hours a day, so there is a long window of opportunity for it to make a difference in the crucial weeding stages of the crops, fitting well into our cropping plan,” said Mr Williams.

“It does exactly what we need, moving soil in the early stage of growth with guaranteed precision. It will initially be used for weeding this year, but we also plan to use it for topping and drilling in the future, maybe even transplanting.”

The Robotti is autonomously controlled by GPS via an onboard computer. This means it does not depend on a human driver, instead following a pre-programmed planned route in the field.

Technical details

The model at Home Farm has two Kubota 75hp diesel engines. The left engine propels the machine and powers a conventional three-point hitch. The right engine drives the power takeoff which drives the implements.

The machine can be fitted with standard implements and perform multiple tasks in the field throughout the season. Each engine takes 110 litres of fuel, which is enough for the machine to run continuously for approximately 24 hours.

“The accuracy lies in the GPS mapped field, with Robotti taking the same exact lines every time,” explains Agrointelli sales manager Frederik Rom. “It is equipped with RTK GPS, so the set up on any farm is simple.

“It took approximately 10 minutes to map a 1.6ha (4 acre) field at Home Farm, and a further 10 Continued on p71

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Continued from p69 minutes to log the weeding plan into the system. It is important for this to be accurate from the start, as it will determine reliable performance.”

Safety and performance

Field obstacles such as telegraph poles and trees are logged at the programming stage. Any obstacles outside of this will stop the robot in its tracks safely in the field, until the obstacle is removed from its path.

An online portal provides real-time updates of the machine’s progress. This means the operator can check the fieldwork progress remotely – rather than having to visit the field to see the machine at work.

“I can leave Robotti working in the field quite happily, knowing it will send me an alert if there is an issue, or if something unexpected is in its way. It has front and rear cameras, which I can view at any time,” says Mr Williams.

“The portal tells me how much fuel is in the tank, how many hours it has done, and how much time it has left before the fuel runs out. It will also tell me when it’s finished one field, so I can ensure it’s taken to the next field to start its new job.”

Robot performs well in all conditions

Trials show the Robotti works well on heavier land – as well as lighter soil types like those at Home Farm Nacton. Agrointelli says the robot is especially effective with bed systems and row crops. This is because the robot carries the implement in the centre, distributing its weight evenly across all four wheels.

The machine’s low ground pressure, low weight and four-wheel drive capability make it less likely to get stuck than a conventional tractor while reducing compaction and structural damage to the soil.

Gordon Cummings of Fram Farmers was instrumental in bringing the Robotti to the UK. The process was simple, and the farmer-owned cooperative was proud to be able to offer the supplier relationship to its other members too.

Mr Cummings said: “The interest in autonomous tractors has been around a long time, and we’re delighted to have been involved in bringing this to the UK for Andrew and the team at Home Farm Nacton.

“Many of our fresh produce grower members will have the chance to see Robotti in operation at Home Farm over the next few months, demonstrating the benefits and efficiencies that forward-thinking technology can bring to the sector.”

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