Compact sprayer manufacturer Martin Lishman has ventured into the world of autonomous spraying by working with UK-based precision equipment specialist Manterra to mount its 125-litre Mini-Spray demountable sprayer with a 3.5m boom on the XAG R150 fully autonomous utility vehicle. The result is a go-anywhere, unmanned GPS-controlled spraying system.
Manterra’s understanding of its customer requirements for solutions that weren’t readily available identified the need for an autonomous compact sprayer.
“We were struggling to find a UK-based manufacturer that could fill all our requirements for lead time, quality, specification and value”, Manterra managing director Andrew Manfield said. “Martin Lishman fulfilled all our requirements regarding these critical aspects, worked closely with us to meet our needs and was always responsive to our requests.”
The XAG and Mini-Spray combination provides a robust and versatile ground-based platform that offers a whole plethora of spraying capabilities at an affordable price. It utilises a Trimble control system to deliver a full suite of variable-rate application and targeted application solutions using Trimble Weedseeker sensors.
The use of the unmanned sprayer vehicle brings with it many benefits. The precision aspect means incredibly accurate spraying application and minimising the overuse of chemicals, while from a safety perspective, operators have greater separation from chemicals when the sprayer is in use. From an environmental point of view, the battery vehicle is quieter and lighter than typical UTVs or tractors, minimising disturbance and ground pressure.
“One simple but very effective application is using the XAG ‘follow me’ mode to do spot spraying using the lance attached to the Lishman sprayer,” Mr Manfield said, “as the R150 will follow the operator, stopping and starting automatically at approximately 2.0m away. It’s infinitely better than using a knapsack sprayer or a machine that must constantly be driven forward. Ultimately the applications for the sprayer and XAG platform are only limited by the ingenuity of the operator.”
“We jumped at the opportunity to get involved when Manterra approached us,” the managing director of Martin Lishman, Gavin Lishman, said. “Exploring new ideas and driving our product development is one of the reasons we got to where we are, so to be a part of this project was a good fit for us. We’ve seen GPS-driven sprayers before, but never a fully autonomous unmanned sprayer.”
Field tests have been run successfully, and machines are already in the process of installation with customers, including educational establishments.
“It will be interesting to get feedback from the next generation of operators,” Mr Manfield added.
