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Robovator · photo pending manufacturer approval
Weeding · AI-assisted

Robovator

Tractor-mounted, vision-guided intra-row hoeing implement from Danish manufacturer F. Poulsen Engineering — a camera above each row spots individual plants and hydraulically swings weeding knives out and back around them, removing weeds between plants without touching the crop. Commercially sold since the early 2010s and independently trialled in US vegetable production; configurable from 5 to 31 rows and adjustable to 25–75 cm row spacing.

Available in: Denmark · Netherlands · United States

At a glance

Best for

Vegetable, sugar-beet and row-crop growers with a suitable PTO tractor who want camera-guided mechanical in-row weeding to cut herbicide use and hand-weeding labour, across a wide range of farm scales (5- to 31-row configurations).

Avoid if

You want a standalone autonomous robot — an operator drives the tractor while the Robovator does the vision-guided weeding; or your tractor can't deliver a steady PTO shaft speed of at least 420 rpm.

Not suitable for

Dense broadcast-sown or unstructured crops without regular row spacing (needs 25–75 cm row spacing and individually distinguishable plants); farms without a compatible 3-point-hitch, PTO tractor.

Specifications

Power sourceTractor-mounted implement, PTO-driven hydraulics (~1 hp per row)
Required tractor power3-point-hitch mounted; requires tractor PTO shaft speed of at least 420 rpm (hydraulic pressure and lamps cut out below ~360 rpm)
DimensionsConfigurable 5 to 31 rows; row spacing adjustable 25–75 cm (9–30 in); US-market spec sheet lists 6–12 lines per bed with 60–84 in bed spacing
Weight700 kg (1,500 lb) base weight
Min farm sizeNot disclosed
ProductivityRoughly 1.5–2 acres/hour depending on soil and plant conditions (per Pacific Ag Rentals, US distributor); manufacturer-stated field speed 2–8 km/h (1.2–5 mph)
Max speed2–8 km/h (1.2–5 mph)
SensorsOne plant-detection camera per row for image-based crop location, functions in low light; automatic self-centring side-shift (±40 cm range, engages after ~1 m of travel)
ConnectivityWiFi link to the onboard display/control box; smartphone control
Compatible toolsHydraulically actuated in-row weeding knives that retract around each detected crop plant; optional thermal (propane flame) in-row weeding tool, used on crops such as sugar beet
Configurations
Mechanical RobovatorHydraulic in-row weeding knives; 5 to 31-row configurations, 25–75 cm row spacing
Thermal RobovatorPropane flame in-row weeding option (e.g. for sugar beet) on the same vision/steering platform

Price & ROI

Price (EUR)Not disclosed
Native priceNot disclosed
Price verifiedNot disclosed
Business modelBuy — tractor-mounted implement sold direct from F. Poulsen Engineering (Denmark) and via distributors, including Agri Evolution (Netherlands, EU) and Pacific Ag Rentals (Salinas, California, western US)
Ongoing costWear parts (weeding knives/blades, camera lens care), hydraulic fluid and PTO shaft maintenance; no software subscription published
MaintenanceConventional tractor-implement maintenance (air filter, belt tension, camera lens, hydraulics) per the manufacturer's manual; support via the direct/distributor network
Payback modelRobovator · F. Poulsen Engineering ApS
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.

+18 to +41 percentage pointsIndependently verifiedStandard (non-vision) intra-row cultivator, direct-seeded broccoli and transplanted lettuce → 18–41% more weeds removed at moderate-to-high weed densities (Salinas, CA and Yuma, AZ field trials, 2014–2015)
-20% to -45%Independently verifiedHand-weeding time following a standard-cultivator pass, within an integrated weed management programme → 20–45% reduction in hand-weeding time when the Robovator pass replaced the standard cultivator (same trial series)
Follow-up hand-weeding labour (UC Cooperative Extension lettuce trials)Labourper season · UC Cooperative Extension, Monterey County — "2015 Evaluation of intelligent cultivators for use in lettuce production"
-55% (Trial 1); ~-37% average across trialsIndependently verified16.5 hours/acre hand-weeding after a standard-cultivator pass (Trial 1, Salinas lettuce) → 7.4 hours/acre hand-weeding after a Robovator pass in Trial 1 (55% reduction); ~37% average hand-weeding time reduction across the UCCE Monterey trial series

EU context

CE markingNo CE-marking statement found in the manufacturer's public materials, so compliance is listed as not confirmed — although CE marking is legally required to place machinery on the EU market and F. Poulsen actively sells within the EU (Denmark, and via Netherlands distributor Agri Evolution)
EU Machinery RegulationTractor-mounted implement falling under the EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230; the tractor operator remains in control at all times
AI Act relevanceLimited-risk; on-board per-row vision assists an operator-driven implement rather than replacing the operator
CAP subsidyHerbicide-free/reduced mechanical in-row weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and organic-conversion measures

Get it

Verified EU dealers
F. Poulsen Engineering ApS (direct, manufacturer)Hvalsø, DK
Agri Evolution (M. Hulzebos Agri Evolution B.V., EU distributor)Andijk, NL
Pacific Ag Rentals (Progressive Agriculture Resources, western US distributor)Salinas, CA, US
Request a quote →
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Quotes route only to dealers we have confirmed carry this machine in the EU.

Evidence

Demo
Demo video on fileManufacturer-hosted · last checked 2026-07-18
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