Electric Exos robot gains ground on dairy farms

NETHERLANDS – The Exos robot has moved from a test idea to daily farm use, with 25 dairy farms now running the fully electric system, mainly across the Netherlands.

The machine handles mowing, grass collection, and delivery of fresh feed to cows without the need for manual work, giving farmers more control over grass based feeding.

Lely first showed the Exos robot in 2020 under its Yellow Revolution label, which the company uses for early stage concepts. Farmers showed strong interest soon after, and the machine won an innovation award at EuroTier 2022. By 2023, dairy farms had begun using the robot in commercial settings.

The robot uses GPS guidance and onboard software that lets farmers plan field order and feeding amounts. Once programmed, Exos works on its own through the day. Its low weight helps reduce soil pressure, which allows farmers to cut grass earlier in the season and keep zero grazing going for longer compared to tractor based systems.

Farmers who shared their views during a recent Future Farming discussion said the robot fits well into grass based systems where timing and feed quality matter. They noted more consistent fresh grass at the feed fence and fewer hours spent on routine field work.

Focus on software progress

Edwin Honings, Head of Exos at Lely International, said the development path has stayed steady since the first farm trials. “Most of the improvements we have made focus on software rather than hardware,” he said. “That helps us respond faster to farmer feedback and improve how the robot works in real conditions.”

The software updates have improved route planning, feeding accuracy, and system reliability. Built in safety systems allow the robot to operate near people and animals, while integrated fertiliser application supports grass regrowth without extra field passes.

Wider push toward farm automation

The Exos robot arrives as dairy farms face rising labour costs and tighter margins. Electric systems like Exos also help reduce fuel use, which remains a key cost for many farms.

While Lely has not shared the exact purchase price, comparable autonomous feeding systems on the market often cost between €250,000 and €300,000, which equals about US$270,000 to US$324,000 at current exchange rates.

Farmers testing Exos say the value comes from time savings and better grass use rather than quick payback. As more farms adopt automated field and feeding tools, Exos shows how electric machines can take on daily tasks that once depended on tractors and long work hours.

Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE.