Discovery 20 years
Introduction
Discovery series. The small hero of the barn. Since 2005
2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Lely Discovery series manure cleaning robots. It all started with the introduction of the Discovery Classic in 2005. Since then, Lely kept on innovating and now there is a comprehensive range of Discovery manure robots helping thousands of barns worldwide to become cleaner, healthier and more efficient. What started as an innovative idea has grown into an icon of reliability and durability.
Discovery stories
Interview
In an interview Clemens Duijnisveld, Head of Proposition Business Team Manure, shares insights into the development and evolution of the Discovery series manure robots. Learn about the challenges faced, the solutions found, and the future of manure management in dairy farming.
Clemens Duijnisveld
Innovation is about pushing boundaries
Milestones
2005 is the year of the introduction of the Discovery Classic into the barn. With this manure robot the daily routine of cleaning the barn floor belongs to the past.
The Discovery Classic evolved into an 'S', to which the 'SW' was added, or Scraper with Water. In well-ventilated barns - especially in warm weather - a biofilm of manure develops on the slatted floors that is difficult to get clean and can become slippery. The Discovery SW offers a solution by first spraying some water and then pushing the manure.
In 2016 an all-new Discovery was launched with also a new name; the Discovery Collector, that vacuums manure instead of pushing it. This made Lely the first to offer a manure solution for (semi)closed floors.
The E-link, which allowed dairy farmers to schedule the route of the manure robot through the barn, was replaced by the Lely Control app on the smartphone.
In 2023, Lely added the Collector C2 to the Discovery series, with more driving capacity due to an improved battery and wireless charging and the ability to charge and dump at one combined station.
In September 2024 Lely launched the 'sand flush' accessory making the Discovery Collector suitable for barns with sand bedding.
