Agovor launches autonomous lightweight robot tractor GOVOR
New Zealand company Agovor has launched an autonomous lightweight electric tractor, designed to automate outdoor manual labour tasks for row based and specialty crops.
GOVOR is a compact, autonomous robotic tractor. It is designed for autonomous towing with capabilities including spraying, mowing, data collection, and crop scouting. The robot operates via an integrated system that allows attachment of various implements, driven by advanced software to perform tasks with high precision autonomously.
GOVOR uses software combining RTK-GPS, supported by sensors and cameras, enabling it to navigate and perform tasks with minimal human supervision, significantly reducing labour costs, soil compaction, and enhancing safety and efficiency.
Look for the specifications of the GOVOR in the Field Robots catalogue
GOVOR is currently in its 4th generation. Agovor plans to collaborate with industry partners to expand its range of smart trailer attachments. The robot is commercially available, and is offered on a lease basis. Prices are starting from US $1,100 per month.
GOVOR stands out due to its light weight of only 50 kgs. It has an electric motor with direct drive transmission. The tractor has a standard towbar and can tow up to 600 kgs. Lithium batteries – with a range of 12 hours – enable it to work autonomously around the clock.
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A fleet of robots
Growers can use one GOVOR or a fleet of robots. Front and rear cameras allow growers to check in on the robot via a livestream. Dependent on the task, it can cover approximately 2 hectares per hour for tasks like vineyard spraying. Operational costs are low, according to Agovor.
The manoeuvrability is great, says Founder and Director Richard Beaumont. “And because it is lightweight, two people can lift it, and it probably fits in the back of a car. There is hardly any effect on soil compaction. And – what also comes with that – is that you can get back on the land sooner after a weather event.”
Using a fleet of smaller vehicles, does not only reduce soil compaction, Beaumont says. “If you have ten of them and – for whatever reason – one breaks down, you are still running at 90 percent. And since it’s so small, we can easily send you another one. There’s no extra setup. You just turn it on, and away you go. Uptime is a big issue for farmers.”
CDA sprayer
Beaumont emphasises that there are a lot of small growers, that are currently not serviced by technology. “With a unit of this size, we can service a small grower, but also a large grower. We can run them in a fleet. There are a lot of manual tasks, that we can do autonomously. You need less people, but there’s also an increasing number of people that knows how to use a smart phone and a diminishing number of people that knows how to operate a tractor.”
Agovor is currently focusing on weed spraying, mowing and canopy spraying and is working with industry partners to develop and build out a wider ecosystem of smart trailer attachments. One of the attachments, Agovor has already designed for the tractor, is a CDA sprayer. With this sprayer, growers get an eight hour run time before they have to refill the sprayer. The company also has developed a prototype for an electric mower.
