AN INDEPENDENT FIELD GUIDEAGRICULTURAL ROBOTICS / TOP FARM ROBOTS

MACHINE FIELD SHEET / TFR / 9297

Spikey.

Shipping

Tractor-towed pasture machine from Pastoral Robotics Ltd (Parnell, Auckland) that finds cow urine patches with spiked electrode disks and treats them, while the liquid version target-sprays fertiliser only on inter-urine patches. Official product page (accessed 2026-10-05): detection and treatment at 8–12 km/h depending on topography; NitroStop applied to urine patches; official claim of grass-growth increase up to 25% and nitrate-leaching reduction of 10–20% at paddock scale; liquid target-spraying leaves about 10% of the paddock unsprayed on average. Official home: liquid and solid-fertiliser versions are sold; the service is offered through licensed contractors. Official gallery names a latest liquid contractor model (7000 L fertiliser / 2000 L NitroStop) and a solid contractor model (4000 kg hopper / 2000 L NitroStop). AGMARDT: four machines manufactured; sells contractor services. Mass, battery, and USD price not published on the opened pages.

Agricultural robotics from Pastoral Robotics. Explore spraying, dairy, livestock machines and their specifications below.

Website

01 / MACHINE IMAGEPastoral Robotics

Geoff Bates with Spikey in a New Zealand paddock

PRODUCT FAMILY IMAGE · MODEL APPEARANCE MAY VARYFarmers Weekly ↗

02 / UNDER THE HOOD

The useful details.

Model specifications, operating notes, and the sources behind them.

Spikey · family · Latest cataloged observation · captured 2026-10-05

Payload—Not listed

Battery—Not listed

Runtime—Not listed

Speed—Not listed

Powertrain: Not listed
Power: Not listed
Mass: Not listed
Autonomy: Tractor-towed. Official about page: fits the daily “follow the cows” nitrogen pass using tow-behind technology. Official product page: spiked electrode disks detect urine patches at 8–12 km/h. Not described as a self-driving machine on the opened official pages.
Charge time: Not listed

OPERATING NOTES

Official product page (accessed 2026-10-05): spiked electrode disks detect urine patches; treat and detect between 8 and 12 km/h depending on topography; NitroStop applied to urine patches; official claim of grass growth up to 25% and nitrate leaching reduced 10–20% at paddock scale; liquid target-spraying uses the same algorithm and sprays only inter-urine patches, leaving about 10% of the paddock unsprayed on average. Official home: liquid Spikey and a solid-fertiliser version are sold; offered through licensed contractors. Official gallery: latest liquid contractor 7000 L / 2000 L NitroStop; solid contractor 4000 kg hopper / 2000 L NitroStop. Official 18 Dec 2023 news: newest liquid-spreading model is trailer-mounted. Farmers Weekly 12 Jun 2023 (Ross Nolly): Geoff Bates, managing director — “The latest iteration applies liquid fertiliser, but doesn’t apply it to the urine patches, so uses 10% less fertiliser for the same growth.” Contractors named there: Gavin Palmer / Spreading Canterbury (liquid) and Jon Jackson / Jackson Spreading (solid). AGMARDT impact story: tractor-towed on flat farms; four machines manufactured; sells Spikey services under a contractor model. SLAMACC trial figures quoted by AGMARDT (pasture up to 15%; leaching up to 20%) are kept as that article’s figures — not substituted for the official product-page 25% / 10–20% claims. Mass, battery kWh, powertrain, and USD price left null.

INTERFACES & IMPLEMENTS

Spiked electrode disks for urine-patch detection (official product page)
NitroStop treatment on detected urine patches
Liquid target-spray of fertiliser on inter-urine patches only (liquid version)
Solid fertiliser hopper with variable-rate application (solid version; official home)

CAPTURED 2026-10-05 · Spikey

pastoralrobotics.co.nz/spikeyreg-solution.html ↗pastoralrobotics.co.nz ↗pastoralrobotics.co.nz/gallery.html ↗farmersweekly.co.nz/technology/pee-is-for-precision-when-using-a-a-targeted-fertiliser-system ↗agmardt.org.nz/our-impact-stories/smart-spikey-farming-tool-reduces-nitrogen-loss ↗pastoralrobotics.co.nz/news/latest-liquid-spikey-commissioned-in-oamaru ↗

Specifications describe this product family and its listed configuration. Read operating notes for limits and qualifications. Capture date is not independent verification of manufacturer claims or current availability.

Company profile

Behind the machine

Pastoral Robotics

Official about page (accessed 2026-10-05): Pastoral Robotics develops Spikey, a precision pasture machine that detects cow urine patches and treats them, and that can target-spray liquid fertiliser only on inter-urine patches. Official contact on every opened page: 40 Kenwyn Street, Parnell, Auckland 1052; Ph 020 4 ROBOTS / 020 476 2687; info@pastoralrobotics.co.nz. Official news and AGMARDT use the legal name Pastoral Robotics Ltd. Farmers Weekly 12 Jun 2023: Geoff Bates is managing director. AGMARDT impact story: Bates is inventor and co-founder; the company manufactured four Spikey machines and sells Spikey services through a contractor-based model. Founded year not published on the opened official pages — left null.

Country of origin: NZ · New Zealand
Headquarters: 40 Kenwyn Street, Parnell, Auckland 1052, New Zealand ↗
Markets: Dairy pasture fertiliser · Urine-patch nitrate treatment
Regions served: New Zealand

pastoralrobotics.co.nz ↗ pastoralrobotics.co.nz ↗ pastoralrobotics.co.nz ↗ farmersweekly.co.nz ↗ agmardt.org.nz ↗ LinkedIn ↗ YouTube ↗

People

Geoff Bates
Managing Director & Co-Founder

Catalog updates

News & developments

Product news · Dec 18, 2023

Latest Liquid Spikey commissioned in Oamaru ↗

Official Pastoral Robotics news 18 Dec 2023: newest liquid-spreading Spikey pinpoints urine patches, treats them with NitroStop (article repeats 25% grass growth / 20% leaching cut), target-sprays fertiliser on non-urine areas, and is trailer-mounted for large paddocks.

Product news · Jun 12, 2023

Pee is for precision when using a targeted fertiliser system ↗

Farmers Weekly 12 Jun 2023 (Ross Nolly; first in Dairy Farmer). Geoff Bates, managing director of Pastoral Robotics: Spikey detects and treats urine patches and applies fertiliser precisely; latest iteration applies liquid fertiliser off the urine patches and uses 10% less fertiliser for the same growth. Spiked electrode disks; NitroStop on urine patches with official-style claims of grass growth up to 25% and leaching down 20% at paddock scale. Contractors: Gavin Palmer / Spreading Canterbury (liquid) and Jon Jackson / Jackson Spreading (solid).