Aigro UP vs F601 eWeeder
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.UK-made tractor-towed electric weeder for orchards, vineyards and other fruit rows — high-frequency (18 kHz) current passed into weeds through articulated treatment arms boils the plant and its roots without herbicide. Sold and commercially deployed (not a pilot/prototype) through regional distributors in the UK, Benelux and DACH region; RootWave (a Ubiqutek Ltd brand) raised a $15m round in mid-2025 to fund wider EU/US rollout.
Best for: Commercial orchard, vineyard and other perennial-fruit growers in the UK, Benelux or DACH region who already run an 80 hp+ tractor and want chemical-free in-row weed control, especially on sites where herbicide use is restricted (near water, organic-transition blocks, sensitive land).| Aigro UP Verified 2026-07-16 | F601 eWeeder Verified 2026-07-19 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | AI-assisted |
| Country of origin | Netherlands | United Kingdom |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-19 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Battery-electric · dual swappable 48 V Li-ion packs, ~1-minute changeover | Tractor-towed implement; high-frequency (18 kHz) electric weeding current generated on-board and delivered via electrode-tipped treatment arms (not battery/mains powered) |
| Required tractor power | Not required (self-propelled) | Minimum 80 hp tractor required (draft/PTO-mounted) |
| Dimensions | 55 cm wide (2WD and 4WD) or 75 cm wide (4WD) chassis | Not disclosed |
| Weight | Not disclosed | 1,500 kg |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Up to 24 h/day operation with battery rotation | Up to 5 km/h on light weed pressure (<10 cm weeds, low density); drops to as low as 1 km/h on dense, large (>40 cm) weed growth, per RootWave's own treatment-speed table. Manufacturer states the system can be used on 2-5x more days per season than chemical herbicides or mechanical weeders because it has fewer weather restrictions |
| Max speed | Not disclosed | Up to 5 km/h (weed size/density dependent — see productivity) |
| Sensors | AI camera row recognition for in-row navigation · GPS for row/field switching · app monitoring with remote takeover on alerts | Automated weed/crop sensing — treatment arms detect crop position and trigger a "break-back" function to move around plants automatically while continuously treating weeds between them |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | €45,000 | Not disclosed |
| Native price | €45,000 | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy; commercial rollout via importer Mechan (Achterveld, NL) | Capital equipment purchase, sold through RootWave's regional distributor network rather than direct-only — Kirkland UK (official UK supplier, appointed 2025), Cofabel (exclusive distributor for Belgium and the Netherlands), and Zürn Harvesting (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Pricing is not published; buyers must request a quote from RootWave or a distributor. |
| Ongoing cost | Battery packs and wear parts; support via Aigro/Mechan | No herbicide/chemical spend. Ongoing cost is the towing tractor's diesel — RootWave states the F601's own energy draw is 50-98 MJ/ha versus 500+ MJ/ha for herbicide production and application — plus routine equipment upkeep; specific service/consumable costs are not published. |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Mowing/weeding labour in orchard rows Unattended autonomous operation up to 24 h/day with battery swaps · vendor | Per-hectare energy use for in-row weed control 80%+ lower energy use per hectare than herbicide-based control · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked for the EU market (sold commercially in NL) | Not disclosed — no explicit CE-marking statement found across the manufacturer's homepage, F601 brochure PDF or about page. The machine is sold via distributors into the EU (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria), which would typically require CE marking, but this was not directly confirmed in materials reviewed |
| Machinery Regulation | Placed on the EU market by Aigro B.V.; autonomous-machine provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 apply | As a tractor-towed/mounted implement operated by a human driver (no autonomous navigation), the F601 would fall under the general provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 rather than its autonomous-machine annex; specific conformity documentation is not published by RootWave |
| CAP subsidy | Mechanical weed control supports eco-scheme / herbicide-reduction measures under CAP | Chemical-free electric weed control aligns with CAP eco-scheme goals around reduced pesticide/herbicide use, though RootWave's own materials do not reference CAP or specific EU eco-scheme programmes |
"—" 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.