M²erlin Milking Robot vs Discovery Collector
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.Lely's free-navigating manure robot for solid and semi-closed barn floors — instead of scraping manure ahead of itself it vacuums the slurry into an onboard tank, spraying water at the front for better intake and at the back to leave grip on the floor. Dumping, wireless charging and water refilling happen at one central station; the C2 generation handles barns of up to roughly 120 cows and routes are managed from a mobile app.
Best for: Dairy barns with solid or semi-closed floors (including cross alleys and sorting-gate passages) that want manure removed rather than pushed — cleaner floors and hooves without floor channels or cables.| M²erlin Milking Robot Verified 2026-07-16 | Discovery Collector Verified 2026-07-17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Robotic barn | Robotic barn |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom | Netherlands |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-17 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Mains electric; energy-efficient electric (non-pneumatic) robot arm | Battery, wireless charging pad at the central station |
| Required tractor power | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Dimensions | Open-box design with natural straight-through cow entrance and exit | Compact low-profile unit sized to pass cross alleys and gate passages (exact dimensions not disclosed on product page) |
| Weight | Fixed installation | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Sized per barn; C2 cleans barns up to ~120 cows |
| Productivity | Higher milkings per cow per day claimed vs conventional parlour routines | Continuous route-based cleaning; ~60% driving / 40% charging duty cycle (C2) |
| Max speed | Not applicable | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | TDS2 laser teat/udder recognition · FullQuestFC per-quarter conductivity · FullCount real-time somatic cell count sensor · AfiCollar ID integration | Built-in sensors for autonomous route navigation — no cables, wires or gutters required |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy via Fullwood dealer network worldwide | Buy via the Lely Center dealer network |
| Ongoing cost | Service contract; liners and consumables; software/herd-management subscription terms not disclosed | Electricity and water; wear parts; Lely Center service contract |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Milking frequency Higher number of milkings per cow per day (voluntary traffic) · vendor | Manure removal method Vacuum collection into onboard tank — manure removed, not displaced · 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 (NL 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; 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.