M²erlin Milking Robot vs Astronaut Max
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.Centralised milking architecture for large herds (announced August 2025) — up to 18 Astronaut robots share one control room for vacuum, cleaning, cooling and long-distance milk transport.
Best for: Dairy farms of 500–1,100 cows wanting robot milking without one full utility set per box.| M²erlin Milking Robot Verified 2026-07-16 | Astronaut Max Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Robotic barn | Robotic barn |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom | Netherlands |
| Availability | Available now | Pilot / limited |
| 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 · centralised vacuum, cleaning and cooling units |
| Required tractor power | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Dimensions | Open-box design with natural straight-through cow entrance and exit | Central control room + in-barn robot boxes (layout-specific) |
| Weight | Fixed installation | Fixed installation |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | 500 cows |
| Productivity | Higher milkings per cow per day claimed vs conventional parlour routines | Up to 18 connected Astronaut robots · 500–1,100 cows |
| 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 | Astronaut robot sensor suite · centralised system monitoring |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy via Fullwood dealer network worldwide | Phased commercial rollout from 2026; validation farms since 2023–2024 |
| Ongoing cost | Service contract; liners and consumables; software/herd-management subscription terms not disclosed | Service contract via Lely Center; consumables centralised |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Milking frequency Higher number of milkings per cow per day (voluntary traffic) · vendor | — No verified outcome |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked | CE marking expected at commercial rollout; system in validation |
| Machinery Regulation | Placed on the EU/UK markets by Fullwood under the applicable machinery regimes | To conform with Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 at market placement |
| CAP subsidy | Eligible under rural-development livestock schemes in several member states | Livestock-modernisation schemes typically apply; confirm per member state at rollout |
"—" 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.