Aigro UP vs Honeybee
Two weeding machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Compact Dutch autonomous robot for orchards, vineyards and tree nurseries — mows, hoes and harrows between and under tree rows. Camera-based row recognition does the in-row navigation (GPS only switches rows/fields), so it keeps working under thick foliage where GNSS robots struggle. Swappable dual 48V batteries change over in about a minute for near-continuous operation; commercial rollout in the Netherlands runs through importer Mechan.
Best for: Fruit growers and tree nurseries in the Benelux wanting a light, affordable (~€45k) electric robot for continuous mowing and mechanical weed control under canopy.Fully autonomous battery-electric laser weeding robot from Caterra, an ETH Zürich spin-off (Glattbrugg, ZH) — deep-learning vision distinguishes crop, weed and soil, then kills weeds with laser pulses to within ~3 mm of the crop, herbicide-free and organic-certified. In pre-order as of mid-2026 after 2025 field pilots (incl. the smaller 300 kg Grasshopper test fleet of 11 units); direct sales only, no dealer network yet.
Best for: Organic and high-value vegetable growers (~10–15+ ha of annual crops) replacing labour-intensive hand weeding with 24/7 in-row laser weeding.| Aigro UP Verified 2026-07-16 | Honeybee Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | Netherlands | Switzerland |
| Availability | Available now | Pre-order |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Battery-electric · dual swappable 48 V Li-ion packs, ~1-minute changeover | Battery-electric — over 24 h per battery set, two sets supplied for 24/7 operation |
| Required tractor power | Not required (self-propelled) | Is the vehicle (self-propelled) |
| Dimensions | 55 cm wide (2WD and 4WD) or 75 cm wide (4WD) chassis | Track width configurable 1.50–1.80 m (beds or dams) |
| Weight | Not disclosed | Not disclosed (smaller Grasshopper pilot unit — 300 kg) |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | ~10 ha annual crops (15+ ha ideal) |
| Productivity | Up to 24 h/day operation with battery rotation | 24/7 capable; multiple robots can work the same field (Grasshopper pilot — ~80 m/h) |
| Max speed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | AI camera row recognition for in-row navigation · GPS for row/field switching · app monitoring with remote takeover on alerts | RTK-GNSS navigation · cameras with deep-learning crop/weed/soil segmentation |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | €45,000 | ≈€220,000 |
| Native price | €45,000 | ≈€220,000 purchase (4-laser) or ≈€65,000/year lease — trade-press figures, not published by Caterra |
| Business model | Buy; commercial rollout via importer Mechan (Achterveld, NL) | Direct sales / pre-order via Caterra; one-year lease option reported |
| Ongoing cost | Battery packs and wear parts; support via Aigro/Mechan | Electricity; laser and optics service (terms not disclosed) |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Mowing/weeding labour in orchard rows Unattended autonomous operation up to 24 h/day with battery swaps · vendor | Hand-weeding labour in organic vegetables Autonomous 24/7 laser weeding, herbicide-free · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked for the EU market (sold commercially in NL) | Not confirmed — pre-series/pre-order stage |
| Machinery Regulation | Placed on the EU market by Aigro B.V.; autonomous-machine provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 apply | Swiss manufacturer — CH follows EU machinery rules via the CH–EU Mutual Recognition Agreement; EU-market conformity not yet demonstrated publicly |
| CAP subsidy | Mechanical weed control supports eco-scheme / herbicide-reduction measures under CAP | Herbicide-free weeding aligns with CAP eco-schemes and CH Absenkpfad (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.