Oxin (also styled OXIN) is an autonomous multi-task vineyard tractor from Smart Machine (The Smart Machine Company) in Marlborough, New Zealand. It is sold as an Autonomous Vineyard Tractor. Smart Machine also positions it for orchards and structured row crops, including berries, apples, nuts, almonds, and citrus.
Work. One row pass can combine mow, mulch, trim, defoliate, desucker, skirt, weed spray, canopy spray, data capture, and tow — up to four tasks at once.
Machine. Tracked platform. Diesel configuration: 135 Hp engine and a 220 L/min hydraulic pump stack. An electric powerpack / battery option is also offered; empty weight is 1,200–3,200 kg depending on driveline. Speed up to 6 km/h. Tracks can pivot-turn.
Autonomy. Fully autonomous, pre-planned missions day and night, with sensors for realtime navigation and safety. One operator can manage multiple Oxin units from tablet software. Safety layers include bump / E-stop, software safety, camera people detection, lidar/radar obstacle detection, and operator fleet stops.
In service. Tested and deployed on more than 3,000 ha in cool and warm climate New Zealand and Australia. Pernod Ricard Winemakers has 19 Oxins across two New Zealand regions. Australian deployments include Duxton Vineyards. United States demonstrations have used Pellenc America as distribution and service partner. Development started in 2019. NZTE Most Innovative Hi-Tech Agritech Solution award.
Price. Starting price US$220,000 (January 2023).
People. Walter Langlois (engineer), Andrew Kersley, and Nick Gledhill. The company is seeking manufacturing and distribution partners in the United States, Europe, Australia, France, and Portugal.
