Agreenculture unveils its robot Céol

entéol now has a younger brother, and there’ll soon be more. Start-up company Agreenculture, created in 2016, recently released a video on social media showing Céol's first steps in a vineyard, with a tine tool and a mowing tool. Céol is an adaptation of the autonomous robot Centéol for field crops, miniaturised into a robot for Christmas tree nurseries. Its originality lies in the use of a positioning and guidance system, both entirely “home-made”, developed in-house. It is also a hybrid caterpillar, “with an internal combustion engine, batteries and electric drive”, explained Jérôme Asmar, agronomic development manager. And on top of all this, it weighs less than a tonne. “We're not trying to reproduce a tractor”, said Asmar. “We are developing an assistance solution suited to repetitive work, hence its weight”. Agreenculture has also spared a thought for soil preservation. “It's true that caterpillars are more difficult to guide. But they do not compress the soil as much. You also have access to more land than with wheels, especially in wet conditions”.

24-hour autonomy and conventional lifting system

Two Céol robots were first tested in pine tree nurseries two years ago. Then a third one was designed for row crops, particularly vines. The robot is narrow and suited to inter-row gaps of 0.9 to 1.5 metres. Agreenculture promises a new version this spring, with another chassis, for vines and wider perennial crops.