New Zealand-based agritech company Robotics Plus attended the NW Hort Expo in Washington State to showcase Prospr - an autonomous, multi-use, hybrid vehicle for agriculture.

Commercially launched last year, Prospr is already transforming orchard and vineyard operations in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

Prospr is 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 significantly increases efficiency across a variety of crop tasks, with capabilities including automated intelligent spraying, decreases emissions by reducing fuel consumption by 70 per cent 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.

Co-founder and chief executive at Robotics Plus Steve Saunders was excited to attend NW Hort alongside industry peers to discuss all things Prospr.

“Along with increasing labour costs, one of the big challenges for growers globally is how to consistently produce more food consistently while reducing their environmental impact,” Steve says.

“Automation has an important role; Prospr’s design centres on utilisation and flexibility, adapting to different tools for various crop types, growing formats and heights, and applications year-round – maximising return on investment,” he says.

“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 honour to work with our valued Northwest customers to embed the technology into their operations alongside Burrows, our distribution partner in Washington.”

Stemilt Ag Services director of farming operations, Scott Driscoll, said his company grows, packs, and markets World Famous Fruit, including fresh apples, pears, cherries, stone fruits, and organic tree fruits.

“In the past season we’ve deployed Prospr in our apple orchards for autonomous spraying,” he says.

“This deployment marks a significant step toward sustainable and efficient farming practices, reinforcing our dedication to agricultural innovation.

“By leveraging advanced technology such as Prospr, we aim to improve fruit quality, minimise environmental impact, and enhance safety for our orchard teams.”

Robotics Plus chief engineering officer, Dr Alistair Scarfe, 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 labour 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.”

AI-powered navigation, safety and precision

At the core of Prospr’s innovation is its advanced AI (artificial intelligence) system, which combines intelligent features to maximise efficiency, safety, and operational uptime in demanding orchard and vineyard environments.

• Collision avoidance system: Prospr’s state-of-the-art collision avoidance system integrates LiDAR and cameras to detect and identify obstacles, ensuring safe navigation in complex environments. This system enables Prospr to autonomously adjust its speed, avoid obstacles, and stop when necessary, maintaining high operational speeds while ensuring safety.
• LiDAR technology for obstacle detection: LiDAR’s (light detection and ranging) precise measuring capabilities use laser pulses to allow Prospr to create detailed 3D maps of the surroundings and distinguish between harmless elements like grass and foliage and critical obstacles. Prospr can maintain operational speeds while autonomously navigating row crops, only slowing or stopping for significant obstacles. For other obstacles in a row, the vehicle will slow to a safe speed and rely on triggering the front bumper to bring it to a stop if necessary.

Intuitive user interface (UI) for seamless control

Prospr’s highly intuitive user interface (UI) empowers operators to manage and monitor tasks remotely and efficiently.

This interface simplifies complex operations, making it easy for operators to harness the full potential of autonomous technology.

• Key features: Operators can manage and organise the day's jobs for multiple machines from a single location, track job status in real-time, remotely (enabling them to take care of other tasks) and maintain a detailed record of active and completed jobs. This enhanced visibility enables more precise planning, improved reporting, and operational flexibility.
• Safety and environmental controls: Operators can set parameters to ensure safe operations that protect people, crops, and the environment, aligning with sustainability goals.
• Vehicle: Operators can get an overview of vehicle stats and monitor what is happening while the vehicle runs a mission and can seamlessly switch between manual and autonomous functions.

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.