M²erlin Milking Robot vs DairyRobot R9500
Two robotic barn machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
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.GEA's box-style voluntary milking robot — In-Liner Everything performs stimulation, teat cleaning, forestripping, milking and post-dipping in a single attachment, in the most compact box footprint (5.3 m²) on the market. Scales from single box to multi-box and robotic rotary; sold and serviced in Switzerland via GEA Solution Centers.
Best for: Dairy herds wanting robotic milking from one of the big-three suppliers (Lely/DeLaval/GEA) with a compact box that saves up to 40% space in multi-box layouts.| M²erlin Milking Robot Verified 2026-07-16 | DairyRobot R9500 Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Robotic barn | Robotic barn |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom | Germany |
| 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 | Mains electric; energy-efficient electric (non-pneumatic) robot arm | Mains electric · 1.1 kW vacuum + 2.2 kW compressed air connected loads |
| Required tractor power | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Dimensions | Open-box design with natural straight-through cow entrance and exit | 5.3 m² box footprint — most compact milking robot box on the market |
| Weight | Fixed installation | Fixed installation |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | ~60 cows / box for economic utilisation |
| Productivity | Higher milkings per cow per day claimed vs conventional parlour routines | Up to 4 boxes per Supply Unit; single box, multi-box or rotary configurations |
| Max speed | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Sensors | TDS2 laser teat/udder recognition · FullQuestFC per-quarter conductivity · FullCount real-time somatic cell count sensor · AfiCollar ID integration | 3D Time-of-Flight camera for teat attachment · in-line milk monitoring |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy via Fullwood dealer network worldwide | Buy · finance via GEA dealer / Solution Center network |
| Ongoing cost | Service contract; liners and consumables; software/herd-management subscription terms not disclosed | Service contract; liners, filters, cleaning consumables |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Milking frequency Higher number of milkings per cow per day (voluntary traffic) · vendor | Energy consumption -19% · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked | CE marked |
| Machinery Regulation | Placed on the EU/UK markets by Fullwood under the applicable machinery regimes | Compliant — Regulation (EU) 2023/1230; Swiss market access via CH–EU Mutual Recognition Agreement (CH follows EU machinery rules) |
| CAP subsidy | Eligible under rural-development livestock schemes in several member states | Eligible under rural-development livestock schemes; CH — cantonal structural-improvement credits may apply |
"—" 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.