With increasing pressure to find competent and reliable tractor drivers, rising labour costs and the need for sustainability, Vitibot have been busy developing new tools for their Bakus robot.
Alongside the already available multitude of inter vine weeding tools, some of which are already in use in an organic vineyard in Kent, Vitifruit Equipment can now offer the following new tools.
An over the row “U” shape Vine Trimmer developed in conjunction with Provitis with electric motors, and a newly designed modular mounting system. Orders are now being taken with the first customer machines due to be delivered in mid-May.
An Inter-vine Mower developed in conjunction with Boisselet converted to run with the Vitibot brushless electric motors. It has a 40cm diameter cutting head and will be available mid-April.
A robust 50cm flail mower will be available from late April, this can run independently or be paired with an Inter-vine Mower, allowing maintenance of the grass alleyway as well as weeding under the row, all in a single pass.
A Satellite mower has also been added to the list of tools available. With two cutting heads at the front and two satellite cutting heads at the rear that orbit the main body, this allows an adjustable cutting width from 72cm to 115cm. Available early April.
Later this year we expect to hear more on the development of a sprayer and leaf stripper, these tools will share the modular mounting system as used on the vine trimmer.
VitiBot’s concept is to automate as many activities as possible with smart tools that are simple to use and maintenance free. The Bakus Robot is fitted with the latest Global Positioning System technology providing centimeter accuracy. However, VitiBot have still managed to make the Bakus Robot extremely easy to use and control from a mobile phone, the controls are well-presented and intuitive allowing an unskilled operator to oversee multiple machines and still perform their own separate activities for the day.
