Shropshire’s Harper Adams University (www.harper-adams.ac.uk) that its Hands Free Hectare project, which will see a crop farmed exclusively by robots for the first time anywhere in the world, is now well underway, with the key machinery specified and selected.

A team of three engineers is aiming to grow and harvest a hectare of spring barley without setting foot in the field.

University researcher Jonathan Gill said: “We’ve created a prototype and tested the automation system on an electric all-terrain vehicle in the field. We’ve proved that it can drive up and down in a consistent straight line; this iswhat we aim to achieve during our first planting of the crop.”

The next step is to fit this system onto the Iseki tractor that will drill the seed and subsequently spray the crop.

Martin Abell of Precision Decisions, the project’s industry partner, said: “The selection process has been very important and time-consuming. The drill that we’ll be using is a vineyard drill that is normally used to add ‘green manure’ between vines to help the soil retain nutrients.

“The coulters and the seed-metering mechanism are identical to those used on conventional versions of the drill, so they suit our application perfectly. We’ve also turned our attention to safety, to cover the unlikely situation that something goes wrong.

“We’ve found laser scanners that will monitor the front of the tractor and stop it, should anything be too close.” Alongside preparing the tractor for drilling, the team has been focusing on creating a mission control.

The progress of the project can be followed on its Web site (www.handsfreehectare.com) and via social media.