Rapid started building a prototype motorised mower back in 2014, which was fitted with an autonomous attachment and was able to carry out initial mowing work without an operator on the bars. Since then, Rapid has been pursuing the vision of using a lightweight, compact, autonomous machine to efficiently cover the process chain in forage production for grassland management in a way that protects the soil and biodiversity. What the Rapid engineers built up over the winter was tested in the field in the summer and progress was made year after year. The prototypes impressively demonstrate the annual progress made in the development project.
The machines, developed and manufactured entirely in Killwangen, Aargau, from hardware to software, will be used by end customers in the coming season.
The Rapid team has now celebrated the christening of the Rapid Cosmos. A series of ten satellite-controlled basic machines with a new type of mower, the ability to turn round and a transport unit that allows the machine to be ready for use within three minutes of arriving in the field.
Together with Rapid, these farmers are making history. Rapid is convinced that this is a decisive milestone in the grassland farming of the future.
