The Dutch company Priva has presented Kompano, its first robot on the market that can move around the greenhouse safely and independently while working alongside other employees.
Kompano is a battery-powered and fully automated pruning robot that can work up to 24 hours a day.
The company’s aim is to revolutionize the horticulture market with this fully autonomous pruning robot that is designed for stripping tomato plants in greenhouses.
Crop handling is an important part of daily greenhouse operations, however, qualified and paid staff are becoming increasingly scarce, while global demand for food continues to grow at an accelerated rate.
Robotics offers a solution by increasing the continuity and predictability of daily operations while keeping costs at a similar or lower level.
Kompano has a 5kWh battery, weighs almost 425 kilograms and is 191 centimeters long, 88 centimeters wide and 180 centimeters high.
Its patented arm and intelligent algorithms guarantee 85% efficiency for a week in the space of one hectare. The robot sheet cutter is easily controlled by a smart device and adjusts to the preferences and needs of users.
According to the company, it is the first robot in the world to offer users an economically viable alternative to de-leaf tomato crops by hand. It makes it easier for producers to manage their workforce.
Developed in collaboration with MTA, leading Dutch growers, technology partners and experts, Kompano was unveiled at the end of September at the GreenTech event and is now ready for use on the market.
The robot has already been successfully tested in several greenhouses in the Netherlands. A series of 50 robots is in production at MTA and is available for purchase on the Priva website, although there is no information on the price of the machine.
In the future, the Kompano line will expand with a leaf cutting robot for cucumbers and picking robots for tomatoes and cucumbers.
