Aigro UP vs Robovator
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.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.
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).| Aigro UP Verified 2026-07-16 | Robovator Verified 2026-07-18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | AI-assisted |
| Country of origin | Netherlands | Denmark |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-18 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Battery-electric · dual swappable 48 V Li-ion packs, ~1-minute changeover | Tractor-mounted implement, PTO-driven hydraulics (~1 hp per row) |
| Required tractor power | Not required (self-propelled) | 3-point-hitch mounted; requires tractor PTO shaft speed of at least 420 rpm (hydraulic pressure and lamps cut out below ~360 rpm) |
| Dimensions | 55 cm wide (2WD and 4WD) or 75 cm wide (4WD) chassis | Configurable 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 |
| Weight | Not disclosed | 700 kg (1,500 lb) base weight |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Up to 24 h/day operation with battery rotation | Roughly 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 speed | Not disclosed | 2–8 km/h (1.2–5 mph) |
| Sensors | AI camera row recognition for in-row navigation · GPS for row/field switching · app monitoring with remote takeover on alerts | One 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) |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | €45,000 | Not disclosed |
| Native price | €45,000 | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy; commercial rollout via importer Mechan (Achterveld, NL) | Buy — 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 cost | Battery packs and wear parts; support via Aigro/Mechan | Wear parts (weeding knives/blades, camera lens care), hydraulic fluid and PTO shaft maintenance; no software subscription published |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Mowing/weeding labour in orchard rows Unattended autonomous operation up to 24 h/day with battery swaps · vendor | Intra-row weed removal vs. a standard cultivator +18 to +41 percentage points · independent |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked for the EU market (sold commercially in NL) | No 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) |
| Machinery Regulation | Placed on the EU market by Aigro B.V.; autonomous-machine provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 apply | Tractor-mounted implement falling under the EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230; the tractor operator remains in control at all times |
| CAP subsidy | Mechanical weed control supports eco-scheme / herbicide-reduction measures under CAP | Herbicide-free/reduced mechanical in-row weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and organic-conversion measures |
"—" 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.