The Centéol Challenge 2018 is an autonomous GPS-guided agricultural robotic project which started in October 2017. The machine that has been developed is known as CEOL. It is a 300kg robot equipped with high-precision RTK GPS guidance.

The challenge that has been set and under way is for 50ha of maize to be managed in total autonomy. So far, one robot has been used to carry out soil analysis on the field which will in turn influence sowing rate and fertilisation based on the soil analysis maps created.

After this, the robot will be used to prepare the soil for sowing with three robots working together to plant and fertilise the crop. The robots will continue working together in May to complete post-emergence fertilisation with mechanical weeding taking place in June. It is expected that harvesting will take place in October. Partners in the project include Kuhn, DuPont and Pioneer.