BRAUN Maschinenbau – VPA Vineyard Pilot Assistant

Save time

Perform multiple tasks in a single pass through the vine row and do the office work at the same time? Sounds like a utopian dream – but it’s not! The Vineyard Pilot Assistant (VPA) positions the tools of the BRAUN modular system optimally and automatically to the vine, while the Row Crop Pilot (RCP) enables reliable, speedy and above all autonomous driving through the row crop.

Reduce costs

The VPA optimises mechanical weed control through the autonomous and near-error-free control of the implements and the simultaneous execution of several work steps. You lower your personnel costs, reduce your fuel consumption and can cultivate your crops ecologically – without the use of herbicides. With 27 ha or more of cultivated area, the system completely amortises the additional annual costs.

Be sustainable

Organic viticulture and orcharding focuses on a holistic view of sustainable agricultural management that takes into account both the health of the vineyards and orchards and the health of the people working in them.
The VPA supports you in the efficient and sustainable management of your plants – according to the BRAUN motto „clean around the vine, without chemicals“.

About the VPA

Smart, innovative and sustainable:
Vineyard Pilot Assistant

The Vineyard Pilot Assistant (VPA) positions the tools of the BRAUN Modular Systems
autonomously to the plant in row culture according to the parameters selected by the driver. The sensor basis is the Autonomy Kit. It consists of a laser installed at the front and a position sensor, both of which provide for a three-dimensional environmental profile. In combination with the tractor’s speed signal, the VPA always positions the implements optimally to the plant even at high speeds of up to 14 kph.

Together with the RCP (Row Crop Pilot), even the steering of the tractor is automated – for a completely autonomous passage. The result: reduced workload and consequently less stress for the driver, as well as increased accuracy and efficiency. This leaves more time and focus for other tasks related to organic farming.

Several operations with completely new implement combinations can be completed with the VPA in one pass. Plus: Increased working speed thanks to autonomous positioning of the implements – even in older vineyards and in vineyards with side slopes.

Mechanical work under the vines in row crops cultures is extremely demanding in terms of the driver’s ability to concentrate and to carry a heavy workload. The autonomous control and positioning of the implements reduces the driver’s fatigue and stress considerably. This is evident in the lower average heart rate during operations with the VPA compared to conventional driving.

*confirmed by external study

As the simultaneous execution of several work steps in one pass reduces the number of journeys through a plant, fuel consumption is reduced eventually.

The more passes through a row per season, the more the soil is compacted, even in deeper zones. The VPA reduces the number of passes through the system, as several work steps can be carried out simultaneously This has a positive effect on soil compaction.

*confirmed by external study

Due to the autonomous steering and the intelligent control of the implements, there is less vine contact when crossing*, especially for inexperienced drivers. Thus, the VPA minimises damage to the crop.

*confirmed by external study

2 years Vineyard Cloud included

All VPA users can use the successful viticulture app „Vineyard Cloud“ for 2 years at no cost. With the help of the app, the work processes of the VPA can be planned, tracked in real time and documented. It is operated via a smartphone or directly via the monitor of the VPA.

VPA convinces

Satisfied customers and international awards

"Fascinating technology - that's my conclusion after two seasons with the VPA. Mechanical understock work requires a lot of skill and even a small lack of concentration often leads to damage to the vine. That is simply stressful. The VPA makes the driver's job much easier and delivers perfect results."

Frank Spiegel, Weingut Ellermann-Spiegel (50 ha), Pfalz/ Deutschland

"Braun has 50 years’ expertise developing under-vine management equipment and, over the last five years, has taken this a stage further with automated technology. The VPA unit maps what’s in front of and beside the machine to position the tractor within the row, move the mower or cultivator head around a vine, lift up, drop down and where to cultivate in the under-vine strip. The operator is hands-free with their only job to turn the tractor around at end of rows and line it up again. You could be checking weather data, having a really good look at the vines and so on while machine is working along that row..

Gareth King, Central Otago/ Neuseeland

"The VPA makes soil work easier and saves a lot of time and energy: you can simply cover a greater area in the same amount of time. I also see the VPA as a solution in times of a labour shortage, as unskilled drivers can achieve the same work result as skilled workers with the VPA's support."

Christoph Stütz, Weinbau Stütz (ca 15 ha), Franken/ Deutschland

"Particularly in the discussion about glyphosate abandonment and with regard to the aim of alternative weed control, the VPA presents a very practicable solution. The intelligent system keeps the vehicle on track and guides the undervine equipment to just a few centimetres from the vine - efficiently and cost-saving.".

Dr. Daniel Heßdörfer, Institut für Weinbau und Oenologie von der Bayerischen Landesanstalt für Weinbau und Gartenbau, Bayern/ Deutschland