Robot tractor trials underway at Coleg Glynllifon

Coleg Glynllifon is working in partnership with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre Cymru this summer to trial the UK’s first commercially available fully autonomous tractor.

The AgBot, a £380,000 state-of-the-art driverless tractor, was recently put to the test mowing grass for silage in the Tyn Rhos field on Coleg Glynllifon’s farm.

It was trialled in comparison with a traditional Fendt tractor guided by GPS navigation, and also against the same tractor with the GPS switched off.

The experiment compared the tractors mowing identical plots of land across a number of aspects such as time efficiency, fuel efficiency and accuracy, to assess how the technology could be applied to grassland farming in a unique landscape like Wales.

Pictures: The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre Cymru

There will be further trials later this summer, when the AgBot will again be tested against the same Fendt tractor - this time cultivating soil in Coleg Glynllifon’s Tyddyn Gwian Uchaf field.

A report on the findings will be collated by AMRC Cymru, part of the University of Sheffield, and will then be disseminated to the farming industry.

It is hoped the trials will shed light on how emerging technologies such as the AgBot can benefit grassland agriculture in Wales, with potential advantages including fuel efficiency, and freeing up farm workers to focus on other tasks.

Martin Jardine, Director of Agri Food at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, explained: "This recent trial at Coleg Glynllifon was fascinating to be part of. Seeing the team put the AgBot through its paces, cutting grass for silage on a working farm, was great to see.

"I look forward to the findings of this unique research programme to see how the autonomous vehicle fared against a traditional tractor with a driver. It will be interesting to see how each compares in terms of speed, accuracy and efficiency.

"At Coleg Glynllifon we have the practical, hands-on knowledge of agriculture to complement AMRC Cymru's proficiency with emerging technologies. We are excited to continue our collaboration with AMRC Cymru as we look to discover potential efficiency, productivity and sustainability gains for the Welsh agricultural economy."

Alex Lewis, Manufacturing Engineering Lead at AMRC Cymru, said Coleg Glynllifon was the ideal setting for the trials due to the knowledge and experience of staff at the land-based educational campus.

He said: “The whole point of these trials is to understand the limitations and potential benefits of using automation within agriculture.

“At the AMRC we have the technological background and the understanding of automation to assess the application of technologies such as the AgBot. Glynllifon has the practical understanding and knowledge and hands-on approach to farming - so our partnership is critical to be able to test autonomous systems such as the AgBot in real-world settings.

“The Agbot is being used commercially in arable farming in various places across the globe, but to our knowledge it hasn’t been considered for grassland applications like this.

“One of the key things the AMRC does is de-risking emerging technologies. Through these trials we’re able to do that so farmers are able to make a better-informed decision on whether or not they’d consider using technology like this now or in the future as things develop.

“This also puts us in a great position to support further development of technological solutions for the benefit of the end user.”

The traditional tractor being used for comparison in the trials is the Fendt 516, which uses the same diesel engine as the AgBot. The Fendt tractor has been provided for the trials by Emyr Evans a’i Gwmni, an agricultural machinery supplier based in Denbigh and Gaerwen.

Gwynedd Evans, director of Emyr Evans a’i Gwmni, said the firm was excited to be involved in the trial of cutting-edge farming technology.

He said: “We were approached by the college because the same engine is used in the robot as in the Fendt tractor, so it’s naturally a good comparison to use one of our tractors.

“It’s innovative, it’s fresh, it’s something different, so we were very keen to be part of the project.

“It will be interesting to see the trial outcomes. I’m hoping the tractor will come out on top! But we have to embrace modern technology. The tractor we have now has a lot of technology, the very latest in guidance - it’s very accurate and I’m hoping it will be very close between them both.”

The AgBot has been bought by AMRC Cymru, having been developed by agricultural tech company AgXeed. It was funded through a £1.5m capital purchase grant secured by AMRC Cymru from the Welsh Government.

AMRC Cymru is funded by the Welsh Government and is based in a £20m state-of-the-art applied research centre in Broughton, Flintshire. It is managed by the University of Sheffield and is a member of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, a strategic research and innovation hub backed by Innovate UK.

AMRC Cymru’s Head of Food, Drink and Agri-tech, Andrew Martin, will talk about the AgBot at the Royal Welsh Show. The talk, titled 'Agriculture - Challenges in Next Generational Technology', will take place in the Horticultural Village on Monday, July 22 at 11am.

Coleg Glynllifon is a land-based campus with residential facilities, situated on the Glynllifon Estate near Caernarfon. The Glynllifon farm, including the woodland, extends to 300 hectares, and is a great environment for studying countryside management, agricultural studies, animal care, forestry and agri engineering.

Would you like a career in agriculture or forestry? Coleg Glynllifon offers a range of courses including Level 3 Agriculture and Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture. To learn more about the courses on offer, click here.