SwarmFarm Robotic Agriculture, a Queensland-based robotics manufacturer, has reached a significant milestone by farming over 10 million acres using its innovative SwarmBots. This achievement highlights the growing acceptance and reliance on autonomous technology in agriculture across Australia.
According to Andrew Bate, the chief executive officer and co-founder of SwarmFarm, the company has experienced substantial growth since its inception 15 years ago. “We started from before you could buy a drone from Harvey Norman; it was the really early days of robotics and autonomy,” Bate stated. The company launched its first robots for contracting services in 2015, with the SwarmBot 5 model introduced to farmers around 2019.
The SwarmBots are designed to autonomously execute various farming tasks, including autumn snail baiting and mowing. While they can perform simple operations, the majority are equipped with advanced spraying technology. Bate emphasized that the SwarmBots are engineered to be lightweight, causing minimal disturbance to the soil. “Our sprayers are a third of the weight of a traditional sprayer, and they’re loaded with spot spray technology, so there’s massive chemical savings there,” he explained.
In the past year, SwarmFarm established a manufacturing facility in Toowoomba, Queensland, producing over 100 SwarmBots in just 12 months. The company’s Western Australia portfolio manager, Tom Holcomb, noted that by the end of 2025, there will be 20 SwarmBots operational in Western Australia, which marks another exciting milestone in the company’s expansion.
Bate highlighted the increasing adoption of autonomous technology among farmers, who are beginning to recognize its benefits. “They’re seeing the advantages of lightweight sprayers in their fields, as well as the benefits for soil health,” he said. He added that farmers are increasingly relying on SwarmFarm’s autonomous robots for weed control, reducing the need for traditional self-propelled sprayers, which tend to be costly and depreciate quickly.
The operational efficiency and lower running costs of the SwarmBots are proving advantageous for farmers. As Bate noted, “The low cost of running robots is really helpful as well.” This shift towards automation is not only improving productivity but also enhancing the sustainability of farming practices.
As SwarmFarm continues to advance its technology and expand its reach, the company remains dedicated to collaborating with agtech firms and machinery manufacturers to integrate various technologies into its SwarmBots. With a strong foundation built over the years, SwarmFarm is poised to lead the charge in the future of agricultural robotics.
