New Holland Showcases Autonomous R4 Farm Robots at GOFAR France
New Holland, part of the CNH group, will showcase its R4 hybrid power unit at GOFAR Field Day France, one of Europe’s premier events focused on agricultural robotics. The appearance highlights the company’s ongoing push to develop autonomous, driverless technology for specialist crop production, an area where New Holland already holds a strong reputation.
Scheduled for February 5 at the Agrobiopole site in Auzeville-Tolosane within the Toulouse Sud-Est technology park, the event will give farmers and growers the opportunity to explore the newest advances in self-operating farm machinery.
The R4 platform will be presented in two configurations: a hybrid version and a fully electric model. Both are intended to help vineyards, orchards and other high-value crop operations cope with labour shortages by automating routine jobs such as mowing and soil cultivation. This enables experienced workers to shift their attention to more technical and decision-focused activities. Controlled through a mobile application, the robots use a combination of GPS, LiDAR and camera-based vision systems to navigate and work accurately in the field.
Each variant is built on rubber tracks with suspension to maximise grip while limiting soil compaction, and features a smart, continuously variable electric drive system. They are capable of running conventional implements or powering specially designed electric tools without the need for hydraulic oil, cutting down on servicing requirements, overall weight, emissions and operating costs.
According to Thierry Le Briquer, New Holland’s Global Manager for Grape, Olive and Coffee, the strong response since the machines were first introduced at Agritechnica demonstrates significant demand for this type of solution in specialist crop farming.
He added that the company believes the R4 concept can bring real operational advantages to growers and is eager to meet attendees at GOFAR Field Day France to discuss how the technology could be integrated into their businesses.
Scheduled for February 5 at the Agrobiopole site in Auzeville-Tolosane within the Toulouse Sud-Est technology park, the event will give farmers and growers the opportunity to explore the newest advances in self-operating farm machinery.
The R4 platform will be presented in two configurations: a hybrid version and a fully electric model. Both are intended to help vineyards, orchards and other high-value crop operations cope with labour shortages by automating routine jobs such as mowing and soil cultivation. This enables experienced workers to shift their attention to more technical and decision-focused activities. Controlled through a mobile application, the robots use a combination of GPS, LiDAR and camera-based vision systems to navigate and work accurately in the field.
Each variant is built on rubber tracks with suspension to maximise grip while limiting soil compaction, and features a smart, continuously variable electric drive system. They are capable of running conventional implements or powering specially designed electric tools without the need for hydraulic oil, cutting down on servicing requirements, overall weight, emissions and operating costs.
According to Thierry Le Briquer, New Holland’s Global Manager for Grape, Olive and Coffee, the strong response since the machines were first introduced at Agritechnica demonstrates significant demand for this type of solution in specialist crop farming.
He added that the company believes the R4 concept can bring real operational advantages to growers and is eager to meet attendees at GOFAR Field Day France to discuss how the technology could be integrated into their businesses.
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