A New Zealand-based agritech company is showcasing its autonomous, multi-use, hybrid vehicle in the United States this week.

Robotics Plus was at FIRA USA, a three-day event for autonomous farming and agricultural robotics solutions, held in Woodland - Sacramento, California.

The agritech company was there to promote Prospr, a vehicle designed to carry out a variety of orchard and vineyard crop tasks more efficiently and sustainably while reducing reliance on labour.

Prospr was launched last year at FIRA and Robotics Plus said it was already transforming orchard and vineyard operations in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

Steve Saunders, co-founder and chief executive officer at Robotics Plus, said the challenge for growers globally was how to produce more food sustainably while reducing their environmental impact.

“That’s why we developed Prospr, a robust autonomous vehicle with unique modular architecture and all-day running that empowers growers to adapt to the jobs they need to do in an ever-evolving agricultural landscape.”

Saunders said Prospr’s design centred on utilisation and flexibility, adapting to different tools for various crop types, growing formats and heights, and applications year-round.

He said Prospr decreased emissions, lowering fuel consumption by 70% with its hybrid diesel-electric system, and also reduced inputs, which enhanced environmental sustainability, cost, and reliance on “increasingly hard-to-find” machine operators.

“It’s great to see Prospr already working in orchards and vineyards globally to elevate operations.”

More about Prospr

Intelligent and targeted spraying

Saunders said Prospr included automated intelligent spraying.

This allows growers to deploy a range of spray configurations, with tower sprayers for grapes, apples, or tree crops already available.

Spray rates and air speed are dynamic and controlled in zones or by individual fans to maximise spray efficacy and enable a more targeted application than traditional sprayers.

The fine mist and turbulent air produced by the sprayers put spray on the backs of leaves; all of this results in superior droplet formation and spray deposition.

Robitics Plus said other attachments were under development and would be released over time.

AI-powered navigation, safety and precision

Prospr houses an advanced AI (artificial intelligence) system, to maximise efficiency, safety, and operational uptime in demanding orchard and vineyard environments.

It has a collision avoidance system, integrating light detection and ranging, (LiDAR) and cameras to detect and identify obstacles.

This allows Prospr to autonomously adjust its speed, avoid obstacles, and stop when necessary, maintaining high operational speeds while ensuring safety.

Intuitive user interface (UI)

Prospr’s intuitive user interface (UI) lets operators manage and monitor tasks remotely and efficiently.

Operators can manage and organise the day’s jobs for multiple machines from a single location, track job status in real-time, remotely and maintain a detailed record of active and completed jobs.

Prospr also has safety and environmental controls, and vehicle stats allow operators to monitor what is happening.

The vehicle can also switch between manual and autonomous functions.

Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/