Grande vs FAR Flying Autonomous Robots
Two harvesting machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Larger "pallet-scale" sibling of the base Burro cart — carries up to 680 kg (1,500 lb) and tows up to roughly 2,270 kg (5,000 lb) on flat terrain, versus the base Burro's ~227 kg (500 lb) capacity, aimed at nursery and orchard/vineyard operations moving pallets or loaded trailers through rows and corridors without a driver. Distinct from Burro's newer, higher-power "Grande 44" (44 hp, pre-order, deliveries H2 2026), which supersedes Grande at the top of the range.
Best for: Nursery, orchard and vineyard operations that need to move pallets or loaded trailers over long corridors and rows autonomously, and need more capacity than the base people-scale Burro.Israeli tethered flying robots that pick tree fruit — apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums and pears — with AI vision selecting only ripe fruit and logging weight, colour and geolocation per fruit. Commercially harvesting with Rivoira Group in Italy, HMC Farms in California/Washington and Unifrutti in Chile, primarily as picking-as-a-service paid per harvested tonne; machine purchase offered since late 2023. Raised an $18M Series C in March 2026 with Kubota among investors.
Best for: Large orchard operations (apples, stone fruit, pears) in Tevel's active regions wanting to replace scarce seasonal picking crews with a per-tonne harvest service that also delivers per-fruit data.| Grande Verified 2026-07-19 | FAR Flying Autonomous Robots Verified 2026-07-17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Harvesting | Harvesting |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United States | Israel |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-19 | 2026-07-17 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Battery-electric (Burro platform); exact capacity not disclosed for Grande specifically | Electric — tethered drones powered and coordinated from a mobile ground platform |
| Required tractor power | Not applicable | Ground platform moves through the orchard; drones are platform-tethered |
| Dimensions | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Weight | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed (deployments are large commercial orchards) |
| Productivity | Carries up to 680 kg (1,500 lb); tows up to ~2,270 kg (5,000 lb) on relatively flat terrain (per AgFunderNews' Series-B coverage, agfundernews.com "With a fresh $24m, Burro grows from people- to pallet-scale", Jan 2024) | 24/7 harvesting capability; per-unit picking rate not disclosed |
| Max speed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | Autonomy via the Burro Operating System (follow-me and waypoint modes, as on the base Burro's vision + GPS platform); Grande-specific sensor hardware not disclosed in reached sources | AI computer vision per drone — ripeness, size, colour grading and disease detection on each fruit; per-fruit weight and geolocation logging |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy per unit via Burro (direct) — RFQ / Request for Quote pricing, no published price found; Burro Operating System fleet software included | Primarily harvesting-as-a-service on multi-year plans, paid in €/tonne pegged to direct picking labour cost; revenue shared with regional service partners. Direct purchase offered since Q3 2023. |
| Ongoing cost | Not disclosed — no Grande-specific ongoing-cost information found in accessible sources | Per-tonne service fee (rates not published) |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | — No verified outcome | Total harvesting cost −20–30% total cost (vendor claim) · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | No CE marking verifiable as of July 2026 | CE status not published; operating commercially in Italian orchards with Rivoira Group |
| Machinery Regulation | Not established for the EU market; conformity under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 would be required for EU sales | EU deployments via service partners; Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions apply, drone elements may engage additional EU rules |
| CAP subsidy | Not applicable without EU availability | Harvest automation — not directly tied to CAP eco-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.