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Compact Field Robot Offers Quick-Change Battery System
The compact HammerHead roving autonomous tractor from FieldRobotics carries out field work and information collection at the same time and repowers in minutes. Its all-electric design uses actuators and electric motors to operate smoothly, effectively and efficiently in a wide variety of crops and conditions.
“The HammerHead rover can operate in open fields at more than 4 mph for 8 hrs.,” says Riccardo Fini, FieldRobotics. “With its track carriage, it can operate in any condition with minimal soil compaction. It has an electric PTO for conventional mechanical implements and an electric actuator powered by a 3-pt. hitch with a 1,400-lb. lift.”
The 23-kW lithium-ion battery can be recharged in as little as 2.5 hrs. The working field robot features a trolley system that makes quickly swapping a 350-lb. battery a one-person job.
“The HammerHead can operate as part of a fleet of field units or remotely for up to 8 hrs. on a single charge,” says Fini. “With a 4G or 5G connection, it can operate in the field without an on-site operator.”
The compact power unit is 8 ft., 6 in. long, just under 4 ft. wide and 27 1/2 in. high. It weighs about 1,760 lbs. and can handle a payload of up to a ton. The rover has two 6.7-hp. motors for continuous power and a peak power of 20 hp. It’s also equipped with an electric motor-powered pto. The motor can produce 65 hp. peak power and sustained power of about 18 hp. at 2,700 rpm with 1,000 rpm PTO.
The HammerHead has a lidar-based location system, RTK GPS and stereo cameras. These allow it to operate autonomously in greenhouses, orchards and vineyards where GPS signals are weak or unavailable.
The 64-layer lidar supervisory system detects and reacts to obstacles. The control system can reroute a path around the obstacle in an open field. In a reduced space operation, the HammerHead will stop until the path is cleared.
Buzzers, onboard lights that notify workers in the area, and a bumper system that stops the machine on contact also ensure safety. The rover is equipped with three emergency shut-down buttons, two in the front and one in the rear.
A data harvesting kit with AI and a laser scanner and cameras can create a digital twin of the field for precision farming operations. The data collected can include leaf density, fruit count and other metrics to monitor nutrient needs and expected yield.
“The HammerHead rover is available only in Italy,” says Fini. “We’ll go international in January 2027.”
The rover unit costs $124,000. An electric mulcher and an intra-row disc each cost $10,363. The low-dispersion sprayer costs $41,454. Other tools include a forklift.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Field Robotics, Via Bazzane 53/A, 40012, Calderara di Reno, Bologna, Italy (www.fieldrobotics.it).


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2025 - Volume #49, Issue #1