A new robot designed for use in orchards and vineyards could revolutionize agricultural robotics. But for now, it’s only available in Europe.

Created via public-private partnership between several private firms and the Technical University of Dresden and with European Union funding support, Caser is an autonomous robot designed for typical orchard and vineyard tasks, including fertilizing, tillage, grounds care and transporting.

Sold by Raussendorf Machine and Equipment Manufacturing, the robot is priced at 85,000 Euro (about $122,400). According to a report in Science & Technology World, the company ?will consider? shipping to an overseas buyer, but it remains focused on the European market.

Once farm managers input the robot’s path and tasks, the device can operate autonomously, guided by a standard differentiated GPS signal (EGNOS) and a radio-transmitted correction signal. This allows accuracy of 2-3 cm, according to the manufacturer.

Humans remain in the loop, however. The robot maintains a continuous radio link between itself and a base station (or other mobile communication device), reporting its operating status and location. And if Caser encounters an unexpected obstruction, it will come to an emergency stop and must be manually restarted.

With a load capacity of 2,500 kg and a 65 horsepower engine, Caser is a little robot that packs a big punch. The bot can unload up to 4 crates on a specially-designed receiving platform and can carry up to 15 empty crates for distribution around the orchard.

Agricultural Market Going Robotic

The global agricultural robot market was worth $817 million in 2013 and is expected to reach $16.3 billion by 2020, according to a report by WinterGreen Research.

Europe has embraced public-private partnership in agricultural robotics development to a greater extent than the United States, driven by concerns about the high cost – and shortage – of agricultural labor. Kongskilde’s Vibro Crop Robotti (VCR), for example, which was launched in the final quarter of 2013, is an autonomous robot that can be fitted with a range of implements to enable mechanical weed control, precision seeding, and mechanical row crop cleaning.

VCR supports FroboMind, an open-source robot control system software platform designed for field robotics research, implemented in Robot Operating System (ROS). The robot was developed in collaboration between Conpleks Innovation, Kongskilde Industries, and the University of Southern Denmark.

In February 2014, the UK government announced it will provide $266M as part of its ?agri-tech? strategy, with $116M earmarked for commercializing new agricultural technologies ? including robots.