New Zealand-based agritech company Robotics Plus is at the NW Hort Expo in Washington State this week to showcase Prospr, its autonomous, multi-use, hybrid vehicle for agriculture.
Northwest fruit growers are already using Prospr, designed to carry out a variety of orchard and vineyard crop tasks more efficiently and sustainably while reducing reliance on labor. Commercially launched last year, Prospr is already transforming orchard and vineyard operations in the US, Australia, and New Zealand.
Prospr is an autonomous vehicle with modular architecture and all-day running that empowers growers to adapt to the jobs they need to do in an ever-evolving agricultural landscape. Prospr increases efficiency across a variety of crop tasks, with capabilities including automated intelligent spraying, decreases emissions by reducing fuel consumption by 70% with its hybrid diesel-electric system, and reduces inputs - enhancing environmental sustainability, cost, and reliance on increasingly hard-to-find machine operators and improving health and safety.
Steve Saunders, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Robotics Plus say, "We're excited to be attending NW Hort in Washington alongside our industry peers to discuss all things Prospr. Along with increasing labor costs, one of the big challenges for growers globally is how to consistently produce more food while reducing their environmental impact. Automation has an important role; Prospr's design centers on utilization and flexibility, adapting to different tools for various crop types, growing formats and heights, and applications year-round - maximizing return on investment.
"Northwest fruit growers are leading the way in responding to these challenges by using automation. In Washington State, the largest apple-growing region in the US, Stemilt and Columbia Fruit were among the first growers to deploy Prospr not just in the state, but the world. It's been an honor to work with our valued Northwest customers to embed the technology into their operations alongside Burrows, our distribution partner in Washington."
Scott Driscoll, Director of Farming Operations at Stemilt Ag Services, a family-owned and operated company based in Wenatchee, Washington, says, "At Stemilt, we grow, pack, and market World Famous Fruit, including fresh apples, pears, cherries, stone fruits, and organic tree fruits. Over the past season, we've deployed Prospr in our apple orchards for autonomous spraying.
Dr Alistair Scarfe, Co-founder and Chief Engineering Officer at Robotics Plus, says, "We're looking forward to connecting with the Northwest horticulture community and showcasing Prospr's autonomous capabilities, including its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities and user-friendly interface. We designed Prospr to alleviate labor challenges and drive efficiency, sustainability, safety, and precision for vineyards and orchards; Northwest growers have been putting Prospr to the test all season, proving the long-term value of automation in horticulture."
For more information:
Sandra Lukey
Shine Group
Tel: +64 21 2262 858
Email: [email protected]
www.roboticsplus.co.nz