Astronaut A4

As few obstacles as possible

Robotic milking is different from conventional milking in many ways. One of the main differences is that cows can be milked more in line with their natural behaviour. To maximise the benefit of this we look for opportunities to create an environment where the cow can be milked under optimal conditions with as few obstacles as possible.

Straight ahead is more natural

The main revolutionary feature of the Lely Astronaut A4 cow box is the walkthrough design called the I-flow concept. As practice and research shows cows are not really capable of making turns. Allowing the cow to walk straight in and out of the box eliminates any unnecessary obstacles. The cow friendly design allows for continuous interaction with the rest of the herd thus eliminating unnecessary stress. With its unique innovations we have further increased the capacity of the Astronaut, ensuring it to be an unbeatable concept and allowing you to maximize your results.

Swinging feeding trough

By moving the trough after the milking the cow is ‘encouraged’ to leave the box since there is nothing in front of her and she can’t get more feed. A faster exit allows for a quicker entrance for the next cow. Although this advantage may look minimal, gaining five seconds per milking can easily result in 15 minutes per day or one extra cow!

Faster milking with fewer movements

To ensure optimal milking, ideally different settings per quarter are required. The Lely 4Effect pulsation system can adjust pulsation settings at quarter level. It ensures a truly individual treatment of the cow and, hence, “tailor-made milking”. The robust Lely robot arm is tried and true ever since its first installation in 1992. The robotic arm eliminates unnecessary movements, is much gentler for the cow, makes it impossible for milk cups to drop onto the ground and provides for the fastest attachment.

The tools to make the best management decisions

With our nearly 20 years of experience, we were able to develop a dedicated robotic farm management system; the new Lely T4C management program. T4C is collecting and recording all the data provided by the Astronaut robots through its many sophisticated sensors. It helps you with making important management decisions with refined software that analyses and presents only clear and useful information. The objective is clear: allow farmers to make the best decision easier and quicker.

The Lely Astronaut arm

A well proven concept; the unique arm remains underneath the cow and controls the entire milking process.

The swinging feeding trough

This stimulates the cow to leave the box; faster exit allows for quicker entrance.

The E-link Manager

Management on the spot allows you full access to T4C to manage your herd through the milking robot.