Australian company wants to sell mini robots

Australian company SwarmFarm Robotics plans to start commercially selling its driverless mini robots. However, the company still needs $14 million in investment.

The lightweight robots are only slightly larger than a quad and weigh about 1.500 kilos, 10% of a normal sprayer. The sensors make it possible for the 'SwarmBots' to work completely autonomously.

Swarms of smart robots
The prototypes are currently working together in a team on an arable farm in Australia. They have to work together in a team when it comes to large surfaces. This is because the working width is only 8 meters. The robots are powered by 18 kilowatt diesel engines and travel at approximately 8 kilometers per hour.

(Text continues below the tweet)

In addition to precision spraying and fertilization (at plant level), other actions can also be performed with the robot. An example of this is harvesting. The robot can be seen as a tool carrier.

The first 50 robots to be commercially produced can be leased at a cost of $6.000 per month.

Quick development
The company is collaborating with Bosch, which is at the forefront of self-driving cars. The expectations among farmers are therefore high and they follow developments closely. “Our SwarmBot robot achieves a level of cost efficiency that is impossible with traditional farming methods,” said Jocie Bate, co-founder of SfarmFarm Robotics.

Anne-Jan Doorn

Anne Jan Doorn is an arable expert at Boerenbusiness. He writes about the various arable farming markets and also focuses on the land and energy market.

aj.doorn@boerenbusiness. Nl

© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.