A new wirelessly-charged 24V lithium-ion battery pack has extended the runtime of Lely’s Discovery slurry collector by almost five hours a day.

The revamped C2 can now spend 60% of its time working versus 40% docked to replenish the battery, meaning it should be able to clean the living quarter passageways of 120 cows.

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During its working hours, the Discovery roves the shed at a stately speed of between 6-12m/min, guided by built-in navigation sensors.

Rather than pushing the slurry, it collects waste material from the walkways and stores it in an on-board tank. Once full, this is then jettisoned above a dumping point.

Nozzles fitted front and back are used to spray a small amount of water (about 3.5 litres/min), partly to leave a cleaner finish and also to improve the traction of the small rubber tyres.

The squirters are fed by two 35-litre heavy-duty plastic bags hidden within the machine’s body. Their flexibility means they shrink as water is discharged, allowing for more slurry storage space.

Farmers in England can get a 60% grant towards slurry collectors under the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund.