Russia Tests Autonomous Mulching Robots to Clear Highway Roadsides
New machines designed to remove brush and trees without human supervision promise safer and more efficient highway maintenance.
Russia has successfully tested autonomous mulching robots built to clear roadside vegetation along major highways. The trials took place on the M-2 “Crimea” federal route near Moscow, where the machines demonstrated high efficiency in removing shrubs and small trees—improving driver visibility and overall road safety.
From Factory Floor to Field Deployment
The tests included both fully robotic mulchers and the UM-1700 universal machine equipped with a mulching attachment. Their key advantage: they can operate without constant human control, even in hazardous or hard-to-reach areas such as steep slopes or close to active traffic lanes.
By automating vegetation management, the system eliminates heavy manual labor and allows operators to control the robots remotely through navigation systems.
The machines were designed and built in Russia, across production sites in Nizhny Novgorod, Leningrad, and Moscow regions. According to the Ministry of Transport, the developer oversees the entire cycle—from manufacturing to training the specialists who will operate the equipment, IT-Russia reported.
After incorporating expert feedback, a new round of tests is scheduled for 2026, paving the way for large-scale deployment of these robots in the country’s road maintenance system.
With the successful rollout of this technology, Russia is taking another step toward automating its infrastructure, replacing manual roadside work with safer, smarter, and more autonomous machines.
