Over the past two years, autonomous vehicles and robots have come to market to help farmers, delivery services, and manufacturers. Today, we can add vineyards to the list. Yanmar announced a new smart vineyard robot, the YV01 is fully operational and available to the champagne and wine growers in France. It’s being sold and serviced by Yanmar Vineyard Solutions SAS, a dedicated, new Yanmar Group company in France.

What is Yanmar’s YV01 smart vineyard robot?

Yanmar YV01 autonomous smart spraying robot will help wine growers be more productive.

Yanmar

Yanmar’s YV01 is a smart autonomous spraying robot with a suite of advanced technology that can help wine growers reduce their workforce and improve productivity and safety in the vineyard. It runs on gasoline and has a 19-liter fuel tank. The engine on this robot is a 25.3 horsepower 2-cylinder, 4-stroke air-cooled engine that can move about at 4 km per hour. The spraying tank on top of the robot can hold up to 200 liters.

The autonomous smart spraying robot was developed in close cooperation with premium winemakers and the CIVC, the organization that manages the production, distribution, and promotion of champagne, utilizing their many years of practical experience. After successful field testing with pilot customers in the Champagne region, the value of Yanmar’s spraying robot was clear: it improves profitability for the grower and safety for the operator.

At the same time, the robot was developed with an eye to the changing vineyard business landscape and will address current and future labor shortages in Europe while helping to manage compliance with ever stricter environmental requirements.

Remote precision operation in steep and narrow vineyards

Wine growers will get help from Yanmar YV01 robot.Yanmar

The autonomous spraying robot easily navigates steep slopes and narrow vineyard alleys in all weather conditions. It utilizes advanced spraying technology to ensure that the aerosol droplets are accurately applied to vines, minimizing environmental impact. The compact and lightweight YV01 can navigate slopes of up to 45% while its lightweight limits soil compaction even when driving in muddy conditions. The robot is easily transported on a small truck or trailer. In addition, the operator can remotely monitor the YV01 via a simple remote control, safely out of range of spraying fluids and with no risk to the operator from overturning.

“This kind of machine is a game-changer for the region’s wine growers,” said Yanmar Vineyard Solution’s Jean-Benoit Bourlon. “The YV01 will transform vineyard operations by easing workloads, reducing costs, and increasing both productivity and workplace safety. The YV01 robot is also much quieter than traditional spraying machines, which is highly appreciated by the operators and their neighbors. Both large and small vineyards are set to benefit from the technology.”

Yanmar YV01 only works in France today but the company does plan to expand this year.Yanmar

New, dedicated Yanmar Group company in France

For those unfamiliar with Yanmar and their new wine company, Yanmar Vineyard Solutions SAS was established in Épernay, France, and is close to their customers, at the heart of the champagne and wine production region. This newly founded Yanmar Group will focus on introducing the YV01 smart spraying robot into the vineyard market, sales, service, and support for autonomous vineyard operation. It will also roll out a professional dealer network with existing and new dealers and continue the development of technology and new features, e.g., weeding for the autonomous smart spraying robot.

The company plans to roll out the YV01 robot to other wine areas in France and other European countries this year. You can learn more about this new autonomous robot by visiting the company’s site.

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