M²erlin Milking Robot vs Aramis II
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.Rail-guided all-in-one feeding robot from Tyrolean specialist Hetwin — weighs, cuts, mixes, doses and pushes feed around the clock from an overhead rail, with two horizontal mixing augers producing a homogeneous ration from batches as small as 50 kg. Aimed at medium herds of roughly 50–150 animals; sold and serviced in Switzerland via Harvestore.
Best for: Medium dairy and fattening barns (≈50–150 animals) wanting fully automatic group-specific fresh feeding without a mixer wagon — overhead rail keeps the feed alley clear.| M²erlin Milking Robot Verified 2026-07-16 | Aramis II Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Robotic barn | Robotic barn |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom | Austria |
| 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 via sliding power line on overhead rail — up to 60% energy saving vs comparable systems (vendor) |
| Required tractor power | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Dimensions | Open-box design with natural straight-through cow entrance and exit | Overhead rail-guided unit, sized to barn |
| Weight | Fixed installation | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | ~50 animals |
| Productivity | Higher milkings per cow per day claimed vs conventional parlour routines | Batches from 50 kg; feeding around the clock, group-specific rations |
| 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 | Weighing cells for ration accuracy |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy via Fullwood dealer network worldwide | Buy via Hetwin and country distributors |
| Ongoing cost | Service contract; liners and consumables; software/herd-management subscription terms not disclosed | Electricity; auger and knife wear parts; service via distributor |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Milking frequency Higher number of milkings per cow per day (voluntary traffic) · vendor | Feeding working time -70% · 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 (AT manufacturer); Swiss market access via CH–EU Mutual Recognition Agreement |
| CAP subsidy | Eligible under rural-development livestock schemes in several member states | Eligible under rural-development livestock schemes |
"—" 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.