Autonomous vineyard robot bears fruit
Yanmar says it’s getting some great results with its YV01 prototype robot through its partnership Moet & ChandonThe future of winemaking has come into sharp focus at Moet & Chandon in France, where the trialing and development of an autonomous vineyard robot from Yanmar Vineyard Solutions is bringing promising rewards.
The partnership commenced in 2019, when Moet & Chandon began working with Yanmar on potential specifications for the robot, with the first YV01 prototype introduced in 2021.
The robot is used to spray the vines, and is proving particularly useful when it comes to treating sections of vineyard with steep slopes and especially cross-slope areas.
The robot means manual spraying no longer needs to be carried out by a tractor, while workers are no longer exposed to spraying product, meaning the device is boosting both productivity and safety.
By the end of 2022, Moet & Chandon had begun operating the robot in some of its most challenging plots, in Ay and Cramant, where it has continued to impress.
According to Yanmar, feedback from winegrowers has been overwhelmingly positive, the robot both meeting the standards of what would be expected of traditional tractor-mounted machinery, as well as offering the same quality of plant protection.
Add in the safety benefits, especially when in difficult terrain, and it’s a technology that could well shine a light on the future of wine growing in France, and around the world.
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