Field robot Farmdroid saves Danish grower 90% in chemicals
In 2024, Farmdroid tested its FD20 field robot on the farm of Danish arable farmer Niels Kamper. The robot was equipped with +Spray, a spot spraying precision system. This resulted in a 90% reduction in the use of crop protection products.
“The FD20 field robot from Farmdroid does its job well. It is stable, and the spot sprayer targets only weeds, pests, or diseases, depending on the settings. It works perfectly for sowing, weeding, and spraying. I even saved 90% on crop protection products,” says Niels Kamper, located in Sydfalster, a Danish island halfway between Hamburg and Copenhagen.
In 2024, the farmer had a FD20 robot from the Danish manufacturer Farmdroid on his farm to test it in combination with the spot spray system +Spray. Kamper farms 150 hectares and grows sugar beets, barley, wheat, and red fescue.
Sugar beet processor Nordic Sugar provided Farmdroid
The machine managed a total of 15.8 hectares of sugar beets. The test with the FD20 Farmdroid robot came about when sugar beet processor Nordic Sugar asked Kamper if he would like to participate in a trial with spot spraying, in which Farmdroid was willing to provide an FD20 robot. “I was happy to cooperate because I was curious to see how well such a robot could perform spraying in practice, on a regular farm,” says Niels Kamper.
And he was not disappointed. After a difficult start, with a month’s delay due to bad weather, the beets were sown in early May once the soil temperature had reached 8 degrees Celsius. The FD20 maintained a density of 80,000 to 90,000 plants per hectare while sowing. The beets grew well, and the plant density was maintained throughout the season. The robot was busy weeding and spraying 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without major problems. “The beets were clean, and I saved a lot of chemicals,” says the grower.
Advantages of GPS
A strong point is that the robot is GPS-controlled. The field robot knows the location of every individual beet plant. “It is amazing that the solar panels provide electricity and that there is a power bank for when the sun does not shine, allowing the robot to work at night too. It can be a disadvantage if the GPS signal drops out, which sometimes happened. I do not know why. But of course, the robot then comes to a stop,” Kamper reflects.
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Sowing speed too low
The robot can easily manage 15.8 hectares, probably even more, says the Dane, but he still sees a bottleneck with the robot. “This capacity is fine for weeding and spraying, but for sowing, the working speed is too low. Beet seeds must be planted quickly, within a few days. If that is not possible, the capacity is insufficient for conventional farming practice,” says Niels Kamper.
To increase the sowing capacity, the machine might need to run at 1,000 meters per hour. Or perhaps the robot could be made wider than 6 rows, the farmer suggests.
Weed control starts immediately after sowing
Farmdroid’s Regional Sales Manager Rasmus Mikkelsen Thuesen emphasizes that the accurate seed placement via the GPS function means that weed control can begin immediately after sowing. “This means we get ahead of the weeds, instead of having to wait until they are big enough to hoe using a camera.”
Farmdroid currently offers the FD20 model, now also with +Spray. The manufacturer makes annual improvements to the existing platform, both mechanically and in software. The company introduced the field robot in 2020 and has continuously expanded the platform since then. In response to Niels Kamper’s criticism about the FD20’s capacity, Mikkelsen Thuesen acknowledges that this is indeed one of the challenges, especially when it comes to sowing. He indicates that the capacity is around 5 hectares per day.
Speed and capacity
“We are constantly focusing on how to optimize the robot, and speed is one way to increase capacity. However, it’s not that simple. The machine is currently approved (CE-certified) to autonomously travel up to 1,000 meters per hour. We cannot change that speed until all new approvals are in place. Another question is whether we can maintain the same high sowing precision if we increase the speed. We are investigating this, but we do not want to deliver a robot that has not been thoroughly tested yet. That is why we haven’t introduced a faster machine yet,” says Mikkelsen Thuesen
He names as a strong point of the FD20 field robot that it can work in many different crops. The machine is an integrated system, so there are no conflicts with third-party implements or software. He explains that the machine is equipped with a GSM module, so Farmdroid has remote access for support.
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