Kilter AX-1: First Autonomous Weeding Robot Lands in NZ
Claimed to be the first autonomous robot for New Zealand vegetables growers, the first Kilter AX-1 unit has arrived in the country.
The herbicide attachment builds on the established Prospr autonomous vehicle platform, enabling growers to further enhance automation across weed control applications, improve operational efficiency and reduce manual inputs.
Following the establishment of Yamaha Agriculture, Yamaha’s capabilities and partnership-driven approach are delivering operational, financial and social value across the industry.
For local growers, the Croplands–Yamaha Agriculture partnership continues to strengthen, with Croplands manufacturing the Q-Series fungicide sprayer attachment for global markets and holding exclusive distribution of Prospr and related attachments throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Croplands general manager Brendan Deck says the herbicide attachment reflects growing demand from horticulture growers for practical, scalable automation solutions that deliver measurable benefits on farm.
“Prospr has already proven itself as a reliable autonomous platform in vineyards and orchards, and this upcoming herbicide attachment is a natural next step,” Deck says.
“Growers are telling us they want automation that fits seamlessly into existing programs, particularly around weed control where labour and timing are critical. This attachment has been developed to do exactly that – extend the capability of Prospr while keeping operation straightforward and efficient.”
Deck says the continued partnership with Yamaha Agriculture provided confidence for growers investing in autonomous technology.
“Yamaha Agriculture brings global engineering capability and autonomous solutions, while Croplands boasts over 50 years as sprayer specialists backed by service and support on the ground,” he said.
“That combination hasn’t changed, and it’s a big part of why Prospr is gaining momentum across Australia and New Zealand.”
Yamaha Agriculture president and CEO, Nolan Paul, says the herbicide attachment demonstrates Yamaha Agriculture’s ongoing focus on developing flexible automation solutions for speciality crops.
Releasing the herbicide attachment is the next step in developing a suite of products growers can rely on for various tasks in their orchards and vineyards, Paul says.
