ROBOT FOR USE IN VEGETABLES

Croplands partners with Kilter in Australia and New Zealand: AX-1 an autonomous, ultra high precision robot for use in vegetables.

Croplands, Nufarm’s emerging solutions spray equipment platform, and Kilter have partnered on a distribution agreement bringing Kilter’s autonomous ultra high precision robot, AX-1, to vegetable farmers in Australia and New Zealand, with testing and evaluation being undertaken across key Australian vegetable growing regions.

Kilter’s AX-1 is among the next generation of ultra-high precision machinery, which includes its patented Single Drop Technology (SDT) and autonomous crop-protection for the vegetable market.

As Kilter’s SDT is an advanced AI solution on an autonomous robot platform, the robot applies herbicide to weeds only, depositing droplets every six millimetres into the target area. The AX-1 captures and analyses imagery of the crop, then applies droplets directly on the weeds, saving farmers chemical inputs.

As a light-weight autonomous solution, the AX-1 allows early application of critical sprays on soft soils while also releasing labour, so farmers can focus on high value tasks within the farming operation. The AX-1 works well in fleets, can easily move between locations and the classifier can switch between varying crop types.

Anders Brevik, CEO, Kilter, said tests in Europe showed a significant increase in crop yields.

“This yield increase comes as the AX-1 controls hard-to-treat weeds without causing phytotoxic effects on the crop,” he said.

Sean Mulvaney, General Manager, Croplands, said he had high ambitions for the partnership, along with upcoming research for the new machines on Australian soil.

“Kilter’s technology is unique and unrivalled in the marketplace,” Mulvaney said.

“The first AX-1 machines have arrived in Australia and we are looking forward to adding another sustainable solution to the Australian and New Zealand Croplands fleet.”

“For the horticulture industry, this new addition complements Croplands’ existing autonomous solution platform, the Robotics Plus Prospr for the viticulture and tree crop market.”

The AX-1 is currently operating in Europe and holds AI classifieds/classifiers on 21 different vegetables, including root vegetables and leafy greens. Kilter and Croplands were recently awarded a Hort Innovations Grant to conduct testing and imagery collection in Australian conditions, including weeds, soils and crop types in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.

Partner growers are required now for collaboration so if you are interested in this groundbreaking technology, please register your interest with your local Croplands Territory Manager today.