E-Series vs Rubion
Two harvesting machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Spanish robotic strawberry harvester from Huelva with up to 24 independent picking arms that grip and cut the stem so fruit is never touched, guided by colour/infrared depth sensors and LiDAR. A long-running pioneer (field work in Huelva and California, early Driscoll's trials) — but Agrobot itself still labels the E-Series pre-commercial and 'not for sale, project on development' as of 2026, with thin recent public evidence of commercial deployments.
Best for: Watching, not buying — large strawberry growers tracking robotic harvest maturity; Agrobot remains one of the longest-running dedicated strawberry-harvest programmes in Europe.Strawberry-picking robot for tabletop systems; little public evidence of commercial rollout since ~2021, with Octinion's picking activities continuing under picking.technology — commercial status uncertain.
Best for: Tabletop strawberry growers facing harvest-labour shortages and tight picking windows.| E-Series Verified 2026-07-17 | Rubion Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Harvesting | Harvesting |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | Spain | Belgium |
| Availability | Pilot / limited | Pilot / limited |
| EU market | CE-marked | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-17 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Electric-powered platform | Battery-electric · shift-length runtime |
| Required tractor power | Self-propelled platform straddling raised beds | Not applicable |
| Dimensions | Not disclosed | 1.50 × 0.90 × 1.60 m |
| Weight | Not disclosed | 340 kg |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | 1 ha tabletop |
| Productivity | Not disclosed | Picks at ~human single-hand rate, 24 h |
| Max speed | Not disclosed | Aisle travel pace |
| Sensors | Short-range integrated colour + infrared depth sensors per arm; LiDAR; onboard GPUs for real-time ripeness assessment | Stereo vision · ripeness detection · soft gripper |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Not for sale — pre-commercial development programme; historical trials with growers in Huelva/Badajoz (ES) and Oxnard/Watsonville (California), including early Driscoll's trials | Lease / harvest-as-a-service (pilot) |
| Ongoing cost | Not applicable (not commercially available) | Not disclosed — pilot terms |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Fruit contact during harvest Stem grip-and-cut picking — fruit placed in field containers without being touched · vendor | Harvest labour dependency partial automation · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | Not applicable yet — machine not placed on the market (manufacturer states not for sale) | CE marked (pilot units) |
| Machinery Regulation | Would fall under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions if commercialised | Compliant — Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 |
| CAP subsidy | Harvest automation — not directly tied to CAP eco-schemes | Eligible under horticulture innovation schemes |
"—" 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.