More Than a Weeding Robot: Oz Assists with All Aspects of Cultivation

For many growers, choosing their first agricultural robot is a significant decision. They want technology that is versatile, easy to use and pays for itself over time. Oz, a multi-purpose agbot from Naïo, checks all three boxes for market garden, flower and vegetable growers as well as breeding companies and research centers.

In its early years, Oz was an autonomous weeding robot. But when engineers added GNSS RTK guidance, Oz’s capabilities expanded significantly.

"Oz can assist growers from implementation to harvest," said Matthias Carriere, General Manager at Naïo. “It is a global solution.”

To illustrate Oz’s versatility, Carriere shared the story of a vegetable grower in France who saves 50 hours of physically demanding work each season using Oz. The grower said using Oz is, "like having two people working full-time," because he can work in one field while Oz weeds another. Other organic growers use Oz 100 hours or more per season, which reduces the pressure to hire and pay additional staff.

Oz can utilise 35 different tools. In addition to weeding, Oz can:

• Create and close furrows
• Sow and cultivate
• Plant seeds, bulbs, or leafy greens
• Spray

“You can seed and make the furrows and end the day with a backache,” Carriere said. “Or, you can let the robot do the arduous work.”

Oz also has a toolbar and a plug so it can be used to mow or tow crates of harvested vegetables. It can handle up to 60 kg (132 lbs), and work for up to eight hours before needing to recharge, which takes a few hours.

A Beginner-Friendly AgBot

“Getting started with Oz is quick and easy,“ Carriere said. “Our mapping software is easy to use. You just set point A and point B, and Oz gets to work.”

Oz navigates autonomously with centimetre-level accuracy. Its RTK autoguidance also makes string lines unnecessary, which allows growers to maximise their planted area.

For growers who are unfamiliar with agricultural robots, Carriere recommends giving Oz a dedicated plot to start with, such as a single greenhouse or half a hectare. “The way humans plant a plot is different from how a robot would do it. When you allow Oz to plant a crop, it maps the rows. Later, it uses the field map to efficiently weed and sow the plot.”

Grower Feedback

Growers in Canada and Europe give Oz high marks for its effectiveness and cost savings.

• In France, Scea Bio Axhe uses Oz as a seeder and weeder in polytunnels where they grow coriander, spring onions, turnips and beetroots. Oz helps the farm reduce costs and manual touch-ups. Learn more.
• At Wilken Farm in Germany, an Oz robot logged 200+ field hours this summer assisting with garlic, onions, radish, pepper, tomato and fava bean crops. Learn more.

In Canada, Haggerty AgRobotics Co utilises nearly 20 Oz robots for squash and onion production. In the first year, they reduced labour costs by 25% and fuel costs by 8600%. Learn more

On a vegetable farm in La Milliassière, the farmer has saved more than 500 litres of RNG this year. Learn more.

Other growers praised Oz for weeding closer to crops than a tractor — without soil compaction. The robot’s net weight is 160 kg (352 lbs), and it can work between rows, for crops such as cabbages and leeks, or travel over rows when working on crops such as carrots.

Oz can also assist on flower farms. In France, Le Clos de Callian uses Oz to cultivate May roses and tuberose flowers for perfumes.