New Zealand-based agritech company Robotics Plus, is at FIRA USA this week to showcase Prospr, its autonomous, multi-use, hybrid vehicle for agriculture. Designed to carry out a variety of orchard and vineyard crop tasks more efficiently and sustainably while reducing reliance on labor, Prospr was launched last year at FIRA, an event dedicated to autonomous agriculture and agricultural robotics solutions. Prospr is already transforming orchard and vineyard operations in the US, Australia and New Zealand.
Steve Saunders, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Robotics Plus, says, "The big challenge for growers globally is how to consistently 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. Prospr's design centres on utilization and flexibility, adapting to different tools for various crop types, growing formats and heights, and applications year-round - maximizing return on investment.
"Prospr significantly 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. It's great to see Prospr already working in orchards and vineyards globally to elevate operations."
Dr Alistair Scarfe, Co-founder and Chief Engineering Officer at Robotics Plus, says, "We're looking forward to joining the conversation with industry leaders, partners, and growers at FIRA about how robotics and automation can help the agricultural sector transform. We're excited to showcase Prospr's autonomous capabilities, including its advanced artificial intelligence capabilities and user-friendly interface – and talk about how we designed Prospr to alleviate labour challenges and drive efficiency, sustainability, safety, and precision for vineyards and orchards."
Intelligent and targeted spraying
Growers can deploy a range of spray configurations on Prospr, 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. Other attachments are under development and will be released over time.
For more information:
Robotics Plus
Tel: +64 7 552 6827
Email: [email protected]
www.roboticsplus.co.nz