Rain2soil offers the Rainbutler, an autonomous irrigation robot that uses RTK‑GPS navigation and a 27–42 m rotating boom to deliver uniform water across large, geometrically complex fields. The system plans routes with Hydra software, operates remotely via a web dashboard, and reduces water use by ~25 %, energy consumption by 40 %, and labor by 80 % while boosting yields about 10 %.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Conventional field irrigation relies on fixed sprinkler rigs or hose‑reel systems that must be adapted to field geometry, demand intensive manual operation, and often waste water through uneven distribution and runoff. These constraints limit scalability and increase production costs for large‑scale growers.
Solution
Rain2soil’s rainbutler is an autonomous irrigation robot that merges the uniform water delivery of circular spray with the positional flexibility of a hose reel, eliminating the need to reconfigure field layouts. The unit navigates using RTK‑GPS positioning (±2 cm accuracy) and proprietary Hydra routing software, which plans optimal paths along existing farm aisles. A rotating boom (27–42 m) distributes water in two passes—forward and return—to maximize infiltration and achieve near‑zero runoff. The system can cover up to 70 ha per deployment, cutting water consumption by roughly 25 %, energy use by 40 %, and labor time by 80 % while delivering an average yield increase of about 10 %. Operators control the robot remotely via a web‑enabled interface on smartphones or laptops, enabling “set‑and‑forget” irrigation from the field or a control room. All operational data are logged for performance monitoring and can be integrated with farm management software through standard APIs.
Target Audience
The primary customers are commercial arable farms and large‑scale agricultural enterprises that manage extensive, geometrically complex fields and seek to optimize water use, labor efficiency, and crop yields.
Features
- RTK‑GPS navigation with ±2 cm positioning accuracy for precise, repeatable coverage
- Hydra software engine that generates field‑aware routes based on existing drive aisles and terrain constraints
- Rotating irrigation boom (27–42 m) delivering uniform cross‑field water distribution in a two‑pass (outbound/inbound) pattern to minimize runoff
- Autonomous operation with remote start/stop and real‑time monitoring via a mobile or desktop dashboard
- Modular hydraulic reel system allowing rapid deployment and easy maintenance on diverse crop layouts
- Energy‑efficient electric drive and pump architecture delivering up to 40 % lower power consumption versus conventional rigs
- Integrated telemetry and data logging for water usage, energy draw, and coverage metrics, exportable via RESTful API