Croplands, Nufarm’s emerging solutions spray equipment platform, and Robotics Plus, a New Zealand-based agritech company, have joined forces to bring Prospr to the Australian and New Zealand horticulture market.
“We are proud to partner with Robotics Plus to design and manufacture world-leading Quantum sprayer modules to integrate into Prospr, the autonomous platform developed in New Zealand for horticulture markets,” said Sean Mulvaney, General Manager of Croplands.
“Our focus on bringing emerging solutions to the market continues with the opportunity to distribute Prospr and a range of sprayer attachments across Australia and New Zealand.”
Prospr is an autonomous vehicle that can run all day and adapts to growers' jobs while reducing emissions, inputs, and reliance on increasingly hard-to-find machine operators. Its unique modular architecture accommodates multiple interchangeable tools being developed, including newly released tower sprayers for grapes, apples, or tree crops.
The right tool for the job is attached to the vehicle depending on the day's work, allowing different tools for various crop types and applications year-round to maximise return on investment.
Multiple Prospr machines can collaborate in a fleet to get the job done. Prospr onboard power generation, with a Tier 4 diesel generator, allows the vehicle to operate for extended periods without charging or refuelling.
Regenerative braking and high-capacity batteries extend range, while its intelligent all-wheel-drive system with independent wheel motors gives superior manoeuvrability, grip, and control.
Q Series Sprayers, developed by Robotics Plus in conjunction with Croplands, have allowed growers to deploy a range of sprayer configurations and can adapt to various crop types and growing systems. The Q4 / Q6 sprayers have two or three fans per side and are designed for vine or tree crops. The Q8 sprayer comprises eight fans, four per side, and is best suited to tree crops.
Spray rates and air speed are dynamic and controlled per fan to maximise spray efficacy through electric drive and control systems. The sprayers are built using Croplands Quantum fans that produce targeted, controlled and turbulent air for better coverage from the superior droplet formation and spray deposition.
To implement Prospr, a mesh network is installed to give a more consistent connection and interaction with the machine, improving operational efficiencies and user safety.
Operators can manage and streamline the day's work with a new organisational tool with an easy-to-use interface. Coordination is enabled between team members, and multi-language support is available across various desktop and mobile devices.
Jobs can be logged in advance and viewed in real-time. Completed or in-progress jobs are mapped and recorded digitally. Multiple machines can be managed simultaneously by one or two operators from a single remote control via a fixed or mobile console.
Prospr also has a small footprint and unique steering configuration, incorporating electric steering and independent motors. Robotics Plus’ ongoing partnership with Yamaha Motor Co. allows the company to use its extensive knowledge in machine vision, artificial intelligence, and the production of vehicles for scale.
Steve Saunders, co-founder and chief executive of Robotics Plus, said that Prospr customers in Australia will now benefit from Croplands’ extensive distribution network.
“We are all about partners who adapt and shift to solve problems. Agriculture is time-critical, and with Croplands, we combine deep domain expertise to benefit growers,” said Saunders.
“We have developed an automated, effective spraying and attachment solution with the smarts to do the job and keep doing it better.”
The latest FB Tech here
