OptiDuo Robotic Feed Refresher vs M²erlin Milking Robot
Two robotic barn machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
DeLaval's robotic feed pusher-and-remixer — unlike plain pushers, a twin-spiralled rotating auger remixes the ration while repositioning it at the feed fence, keeping roughage strands intact so refused compacted feed stays appetising. Adaptive Drive adjusts speed and track to feed type and quantity; runs around the clock, up to 10 trips a day. Direct competitor to the Lely Juno.
Best for: Robotic-milking or free-stall dairy herds that want feed pushed AND remixed 24/7 — especially where compressed, sorted-through TMR is depressing intake at the fence.The independent alternative to the big-three milking robots — Fullwood (milking robots since 1996, rebranded from Fullwood JOZ) has built the M²erlin since 2014 around an open box, natural walk-through entrance/exit and a quiet electric robot arm. Ten years of incremental upgrades include TDS2 laser udder recognition (2020), FullCount real-time somatic cell counting (2021) and the FULLSENSE software platform (2023). Hundreds of farms run it worldwide; the Meridian variant does robotic batch milking in groups.
Best for: Dairy farms wanting a low-stress open-box robot with per-quarter monitoring from a long-established independent maker, or batch-milking herds (Meridian) that keep parlour-style routines with robot labour.| OptiDuo Robotic Feed Refresher Verified 2026-07-16 | M²erlin Milking Robot Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Robotic barn | Robotic barn |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | Sweden | United Kingdom |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Battery-electric, self-charging at docking station | Mains electric; energy-efficient electric (non-pneumatic) robot arm |
| Required tractor power | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Dimensions | Not disclosed | Open-box design with natural straight-through cow entrance and exit |
| Weight | Not disclosed | Fixed installation |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Up to 10 feed-alley trips per day, 24/7 operation; multiple barns and varying alley widths supported | Higher milkings per cow per day claimed vs conventional parlour routines |
| Max speed | Not disclosed | Not applicable |
| Sensors | Obstruction sensors — stops automatically for people or animals and resumes when clear | TDS2 laser teat/udder recognition · FullQuestFC per-quarter conductivity · FullCount real-time somatic cell count sensor · AfiCollar ID integration |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy via DeLaval dealer network; installation with charging/docking station | Buy via Fullwood dealer network worldwide |
| Ongoing cost | Dealer service contract; battery and wear parts | Service contract; liners and consumables; software/herd-management subscription terms not disclosed |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Feed weigh-back (refusals) Weigh-back reduced to ~1% with up to 10 trips/day · vendor | Milking frequency Higher number of milkings per cow per day (voluntary traffic) · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked as a DeLaval barn machine | CE marked |
| Machinery Regulation | Placed on the EU market by DeLaval under the EU machinery regime; CH access via CH–EU Mutual Recognition Agreement | Placed on the EU/UK markets by Fullwood under the applicable machinery regimes |
| CAP subsidy | Eligible under rural-development livestock modernisation schemes in several member states | Eligible under rural-development livestock schemes in several member states |
"—" means the manufacturer has not disclosed the figure; we never estimate silently. Model either machine's payback with your own numbers on its ROI calculator page.