Evaluation of an Autonomous Hole-Drilling Robot in Afforestation Operations

Abstract

Over the past several decades, agricultural mechanisation has advanced rapidly, and most Hungarian crop producers now have access to modern machinery. In contrast, the machinery fleets of forestry enterprises and contractors – with only a few exceptions – still consist largely of ageing equipment. The technological sophistication of forestry machinery continues to lag far behind that of other agricultural sectors. Yet the strengthening and competitiveness of forestry enterprises are inconceivable without the adoption of modern machines and technologies. A further serious challenge is the growing labour shortage affecting the sector. For these reasons, the integration of digital technologies, automated machinery, and robotics into forestry operations has become inevitable. In recent years, a family of horticultural robots has been developed in Hungary. Last autumn, our research team tested one member of this machine family in an oak afforestation project within the Nagykanizsa Forestry District of Zalaerdő Plc. This paper presents operational experience from field tests and provides an economic evaluation of the machine’s performance.