Robot makes feeding the herd a breeze

Along comes Dutch feeding specialist Schuitemaker saying it will make the first five commercial versions of its Innovado feed robot, shown as a concept in 2008.

This automates the feeding cycle by travelling to the clamp, loading bulk material, adding concentrates and minerals, mixing and delivering the ration to the livestock in the shed.

Guidance in barn or feedlot is by transponders set in the ground, and guidance around the yard or clamp is overseen by an RTK-based GPS system.

In operation the machine uses its hydraulically controlled cutting arm (maximum cutting height 4.8m) to make a vertical pass down the clamp face, leaving a clean surface said to resist secondary fermentation.

It then drops cut material onto a horizontal feeder auger that takes it by conveyor to the 6 cu m mixing chamber where two vertical augers combine bulk materials, concentrates and minerals into a homogenous ration.

At the feed area the Innovado uses its onboard weighing system to deliver a pre-set amount, in kg/m, dispensing the complete ration by a delivery belt, achieving consistent volume along the length of the feed barrier. As it moves down the feed area it also pushes any spilled material back up to the barrier.

This system can be incorporated in new or existing builds. The machine can be programmed to work in various buildings on the same property, for example, feeding milking cows in one and, say, young stock in another.

Powered by a 75hp JCB engine, with the likelihood of rechargeable electric drive in future, the machine uses the Schuitemaker Intelligent System (SIS) for control.