Element vs Ted
Two weeding machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
US solar-powered autonomous weeding robot from Aigen (Redmond, WA) that eliminates weeds mechanically with AI-guided ground strikes — no herbicide. The current gen2 platform (launched April 2025) widened its working crops to cotton, soy and sugar beet and runs a mesh-networked robotic "crew"; roughly 50 units were in field trials in North Dakota/Minnesota (Grand Farm) and California (Bowles Farming) through 2025; the 2024 and 2025 preorder rounds sold out in a day, and 2026 orderability is not independently confirmed.
Best for: US row-crop growers (cotton, soy, sugar beet) wanting to cut herbicide spend and pursue organic certification, and willing to run a multi-robot fleet rather than a single machine (Aigen's own example — ~5 robots to cover 160 acres / 65 ha in a season).Fully electric autonomous vine straddler from Toulouse-based Naïo Technologies for mechanical under-vine weeding and soil work — GNSS RTK navigation, up to 6.5 ha/day, 600 kg tool lift, and a growing catalogue of approved implements (Clemens, Souslikoff, Boisselet, Naïo's own EVOLT intervine). Billed by Naïo as the lightest autonomous vineyard robot on the market.
Best for: Mid-width vineyards replacing herbicide passes with unsupervised mechanical under-vine weeding, day-long electric operation and low soil compaction.| Element Verified 2026-07-18 | Ted Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United States | France |
| Availability | Pre-order | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-18 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Solar-electric — onboard solar panel with battery backup (gen2 carries ~50% more solar capacity than gen1); no fuel used | 100% electric — 26.5 kWh battery (39 kWh option) |
| Required tractor power | Not required (self-propelled) | Is the vehicle (electric straddle tool carrier, 600 kg lift capacity) |
| Dimensions | Not disclosed | ~450 × 142–185 (adjustable) × 200 (±30) cm |
| Weight | Not disclosed | ~2.1 t |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Illustrative fleet example from Aigen: ~5 robots to cover 160 acres (65 ha) in a season; a single robot's seasonal capacity is 20-40 acres depending on weed density | Up to 6.5 ha/day (vendor); up to 8 h autonomy depending on tools and terrain |
| Max speed | Not disclosed | Up to 6 km/h |
| Sensors | Onboard stereo depth-vision cameras and onboard AI (gen2 has 4x the compute of gen1) for row-following and weed identification; mesh network lets robots coordinate as a "crew" | GNSS RTK centimetre navigation · Naïo "Augmented Autonomy" unsupervised-operation stack · annual vineyard mapping required |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | ≈€44,000 (indicative conversion) | Not disclosed |
| Native price | $50,000 | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy — $50,000 per robot (confirmed on TechXplore, quoting Aigen). A working deployment is typically several robots (Aigen's own illustrative example — ~5 robots per 160 acres / 65 ha). 2024/2025 preorder rounds sold out in a day; 2026 orderability not independently confirmed. | Buy direct from Naïo Technologies or via distributors (France; North America via dealer network) |
| Ongoing cost | Not disclosed — Aigen has not published ongoing service/software costs on its own materials. One third-party business-model summary cites an additional ~$20,000 per-fleet coordination/software fee, but that figure could not be confirmed on any primary or trade-press source, so it is not carried into this field. | Battery life-cycle; tool wear parts; annual RTK vineyard mapping update; electricity |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Herbicide spend and organic-certification eligibility Zero-herbicide mechanical weeding in Grand Farm (ND) trial deployment — growers avoid herbicide spend and can pursue organic certification / premium pricing · independent | Herbicide under the row Mechanical under-vine weeding, no herbicide · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | No CE marking evidence found — no EU sales or service presence identified (US-only — ND, MN, CA field trials/deployments) | CE marked — series product sold on the EU market |
| Machinery Regulation | Not applicable — not placed on the EU market | Designed and manufactured in France with primarily European components; conformity maintained under the EU machinery regime |
| CAP subsidy | Not applicable — US-only company; no CAP relevance found | Electric, herbicide-free mechanical weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and pesticide-reduction goals |
"—" 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.