Lely has revealed two new innovations – a fully autonomous feed pusher designed for larger herds and an artificial intelligence platform for monitoring cows.

The Juno Max is the next generation ‘big brother’ in the Lely Juno feed pushing line-up. It can service up to 3,000 cows and travel 3km between multiple sheds.

It marks a new era for the Dutch manufacturer, becoming its first robot to be designed using free navigation. This means it does not require guide strips like the current Juno model and plans its own optimal route using a dynamic map of the farm. Makers say this also makes installation more efficient.

Furthermore, this means it works smarter – if it detects an obstacle, it moves around it or finds an alternative route rather than alerting the farmer for help.

In addition to increased capacity, it is faster than the Juno J2 and can travel at speeds of up to 1.2m/sec. Its quicker pace means it can cover three times the distance of the J2.

Its three larger driven wheels can climb 5% steeper terrain (20% gradients) than the current model and better withstand uneven surfaces.

It boasts a LiDAR laser scanner and stereo camera to detect obstacles and measure feed volumes. This information is then used to plan the supply of feed with the Lely Exos or Lely Vector feeding systems.

Routes can be set and changed in an app, which allows farmers to temporarily pause the robot or send it back to the charging station.

It is currently being tested on 12 farms milking 150-700 cows and installations are taking place on 1,000-cow plus units for further validation. It is expected to be available commercially in 2027 and will launch with 24/7 online support, which means 90% of issues can be fixed remotely by technicians, Lely says.

Zeta, the second innovation, is a revolutionary AI concept that combines multiple technologies to act as the eyes and ears of the barn, providing farmers with essential insights to improve cow welfare and performance.

Zeta AI Barn Monitor is a network of cameras, dynamic LED lighting, and a mini computer mounted above the herd. It uses AI and smart algorithms to monitor the behaviour and patterns of individual cows 24/7.

The Zeta AI Barn Monitor can:

  • Detect heat and provide advice on the optimum time for insemination
  • Locate cows
  • Monitor and control interaction between robots and cows. For example, it can stop activity to prevent cows from being harmed or hindered
  • Adjust lighting – LED lights support the cameras to provide clearer images. At night, a special ‘full moon’ mode is activated to provide twilight lighting, with spotlights used to produce clearer images at individual cameras.

AI Calving Monitor will be the first module released in 2026.