Feb 19 2011
Lely has installed the new version of Astronaut robot, a new robotic milking device, at Warrnambool's Sungold Field Days. This latest robotic system will enable Lely to dominate the Australian segment.
Astronaut Robotic System
The major alteration to the latest robot, the A4, from its earlier versions is that cows are allowed straight inside the system and not inclined at a 45º, thereby not troubling the cow. This walkthrough system closely resembles the conventional milking systems of Australia. In addition the entire unit is energy efficient and is highly compact that it occupies minimum floor space.
Juergen Steen, South West Pacific Manager of Lely, has mentioned that the A4 robot is ideal for larger dairy farms. He added that the robotic system is 10% cheaper than other versions and currently 10,000 Astronauts are used globally.
Two models of A4 robot are the basic Operator and the advanced Manager. The first Astronaut robot in Australia was included at Max Warren's Gippsland dairy farm in 2001.
Source: http://www.lely.com