FarmWise plans to release weeding robot as implement

FarmWise now only offers the Titan FT-35, an automated diesel engine powered mechanical weeder. “We are expanding into more regions and expanding our services throughout the South West of the United States”, Pauline Canteneur, Head of Business Development of FarmWise said at the international agricultural robot event FIRA in Toulouse. “And in new regions as well. With Vulcan we are happy to deliver on reliability, modularity and ease of operations for our farmers.”

Compatible with industry-standard tractors

Vulcan is compatible with industry-standard tractors, with a category II three-point hitch. It has an industrial cultivation setup, and a 60 to 84 inch-bed flexibility. The Vulcan can be easily reconfigured from one to eight lines. Those are the configurations that growers use most in the regions FarmWise works in.

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High-precision weeding around the crop

The new robotic implement offers high-precision weeding around the crop and an adjustable actuation speed. It has a consistent blade depth and there is a wide array of blades available for growers. The Vulcan also has auto-set weeding blade depth, with global fine adjustment.

The Vulcan comes with a tractor cab-mounted user monitor for easy operation. This system includes feedback cameras. There are no operator-dependent measurements required for using the implement.

Lease and sale

FarmWise currently offers growers its automated mechanical weeder Titan as a service for a fixed cost of under € 445/US $ 500 per acre. The company works in the South West of the United States. The Vulcan will be available for both lease and sale in addition to the service model.

Since the beginning of 2021, 18 of the 25 largest U.S. vegetable growers have been using Titan robots. “We’ve seen an uptick in customer demands in 2021 as the labour market is tightening”, Ms Canteneur said. This year the company expects further growth. All units will be manufactured in the United States.