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MoonDino · photo pending manufacturer approval
Weeding · Fully autonomous

MoonDino

ArvaTec Srl · Italy

Solar-powered autonomous mechanical weeding robot for rice paddies, built by ArvaTec Srl (Rescaldina, Lombardy, Italy — a 2002 Politecnico di Milano agricultural-engineering spin-off). GNSS RTK/GPS-guided, uniquely shaped wheels weed and pad the soil immediately after sowing without touching the rice plants, working on both dry and flooded paddy ground. Launched in 2022 and still actively demonstrated in Italy as of 2026 (dedicated "DEMO MOONDINO 2026" events on ArvaTec's own site); ArvaTec does not publish a price — third-party directories cite an indicative €50,000, unverified at the source and stated as quote-dependent.

Available in: Italy

At a glance

Best for

Italian (and other EU) rice growers wanting to cut herbicide use and hand/mechanical weeding labour on paddy plots around the machine's roughly 10-hectare-per-cycle coverage, including organic or reduced-chemical operations.

Avoid if

You need a published fixed price or a stated lead time — ArvaTec sells by direct quote only and does not publish either; also avoid if a single paddy block far exceeds one unit's ~10 ha per 1.5–2 month cycle without budgeting for multiple units.

Not suitable for

Dry-land arable/row-crop weeding where paddy-specific submerged-terrain wheels offer no benefit — MoonDino's evidenced, brand-defining use case ("il robot da risaia") is rice paddies; farms without any flooded-field operation this design targets.

Specifications

Power sourceSolar-electric — 1200 W electric motor, battery continuously charged by 2 onboard photovoltaic panels; zero fuel cost, zero operating CO2 emissions per ArvaTec
Required tractor powerNot required (self-propelled)
DimensionsNot disclosed
WeightNot disclosed
Min farm sizeNot disclosed
ProductivityRoughly 10 hectares covered per working cycle, with up to 16 h autonomous operation per charge (agtecher.com; ArvaTec publishes no numeric figures)
Max speed1 km/h
SensorsGNSS RTK positioning with GPS navigation and onboard sensors for high-precision mechanical weeding
ConnectivityNot disclosed
Compatible toolsUniquely shaped weeding wheels that mechanically remove weeds and pad soil immediately after sowing without contacting rice plants; moves on both dry and submerged (flooded) paddy terrain
Configurations

Price & ROI

Price (EUR)Not disclosed
Native priceNot disclosed
Price verifiedNot disclosed
Business modelDirect purchase from ArvaTec Srl (Italy), quote-based — ArvaTec does not publish pricing on its own site; third-party directories cite an indicative ~€50,000, explicitly described there as varying by configuration and subject to contacting ArvaTec for a precise quote
Ongoing costNot disclosed — no ongoing/subscription costs published
MaintenanceNot disclosed — no maintenance or support terms published beyond direct contact with ArvaTec
Payback modelMoonDino · ArvaTec Srl
No manufacturer payback figure is published for this machine. The model below uses only your inputs.
Your farm

Farm figures carry across machines; the per-machine rates reset when you open a different listing.

Your result · per year
Labour saved
Inputs saved
Total saved

Payback = machine price ÷ (labour + input savings per year). Every figure above is yours to change. FX is indicative.

Verified outcomes

Each result is a before-to-after figure with a time horizon and a cited source. Independently-verified results are marked separately from vendor-claimed ones.

Herbicide use in rice paddy weed controlHerbicide & crop-protectionper season · ArvaTec MoonDino product brochure
Mechanical weeding via robot wheels replaces chemical herbicide application, aligning with organic-farming practiceVendor-claimedwas: Chemical herbicide application for in-paddy weed control
Energy cost and emissions of weeding operationsCO₂ & emissionsper season · ArvaTec MoonDino product brochure
Solar-powered autonomous operation — zero fuel cost, zero CO2 emissions during operation per ArvaTecVendor-claimedwas: Diesel-powered mechanical weeding or tractor-mounted spraying

EU context

CE markingNot disclosed — no CE-marking evidence found on ArvaTec's own site or product brochure checked this session
EU Machinery RegulationNot confirmed directly, but the machine is sold from and demonstrated in Italy (EU); would fall under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions if/when formally placed on the EU market
AI Act relevanceLikely minimal/limited-risk — navigation is GNSS RTK/GPS-based; no AI-driven computer-vision or crop-identification claims found
CAP subsidyMechanical weeding removes chemical herbicide use, aligning with organic-farming and herbicide-reduction eco-scheme measures under CAP

Get it

Verified EU dealers
ArvaTec Srl (direct)Rescaldina (MI), Italy
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Evidence

Sources

Specifications cross-checked against manufacturer documentation; listing last verified 2026-07-19.

Demo
No demo video yetWe link a demo only once one is confirmed current.