New Holland Unveils R4 Autonomous Robot Series: A Game-Changer for Specialty Crop Farming
IAFAT - Indian Association of Food & Agriculture Technology Development
Revolutionizing Agri and Food Industry using Modern Technologies.
At Agritechnica 2025, CNH Industrial’s New Holland division introduced a groundbreaking innovation poised to reshape the future of vineyard, orchard, and specialty crop farming—the R4 autonomous robot series.
Designed to tackle rising labour shortages, environmental demands, and the repetitive nature of specialty crop operations, the R4 series marks a major step toward smart, sustainable, and autonomous agriculture.
Why the R4 Series Matters
Thierry Le Briquer, Global Manager for Grape, Olive, and Coffee at New Holland, explains it clearly:
“High-value crops have huge market potential, but growers face production challenges including skilled labour shortages for highly repetitive work. R4 robots automate such jobs, boosting both efficiency and sustainability with a zero-emission solution.”
The R4 robots take over repetitive and time-consuming tasks like inter-row mowing, tillage, and spraying, ensuring precision and consistency. With GPS, LiDAR, and vision cameras, these machines are remotely managed with ease—redefining autonomy in agriculture.
Engineered collaboratively across R&D teams in Italy and France, the R4 series forms a seamless extension to New Holland’s existing lineup of modern farming machines.
Two Versions Engineered for Two Worlds
1️⃣ R4 Electric Power – For Narrow Vineyards
Perfect for high-end, narrow vineyards requiring precise, gentle movement with minimal compaction.
2️⃣ R4 Hybrid Power – For Orchards & Wider Rows
Designed for power, endurance, and versatility in large-scale orchards.
Smart Implement Management for Safer, Greener Farming
Both R4 models introduce intelligent implement controls such as:
✔ Automated flow rate for spraying
✔ Canopy gap & height-based on/off switching
✔ Reduced chemical usage
✔ Ongoing development for AI-driven spot spraying
These features significantly boost sustainability while ensuring operator safety—even remotely.
Toward a Fully Autonomous Farming Future
R4 robots represent New Holland’s bold step toward fully autonomous, remotely supervised farm operations. With easy upgrades, compatibility with existing implements, and reduced total cost of ownership, the R4 series gives growers: Enhanced productivity, Lower labour dependency, Reduced emissions, Advanced precision
Le Briquer emphasizes:
“R4 is sustainable, intelligent, and adaptable — a future-ready advantage as farmers look to boost productivity and meet today’s labour and environmental challenges.”
At IAFAT, we see innovations like New Holland’s R4 series as a powerful demonstration of how robotics and automation are transforming agriculture. These technologies not only address labour shortages but pave the way for cleaner, smarter, and more efficient farming across India and the world.
“India is entering a new era of agri-automation. Innovations like the New Holland R4 series show exactly how robotics can help farmers overcome labour shortages, reduce input costs, and improve yields. We strongly believe that autonomous systems will soon become essential tools in vineyards, orchards, and high-value crop farms across the country.” — Rajkumar Sharma , President AICRA & IAFAT
As the agriculture sector increasingly embraces robotics, India’s agri-tech ecosystem—startups, innovators, researchers, and policy-makers—stands to gain immensely.