Burro vs GRoW
Two harvesting machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
American autonomous collaborative carrier — follows pickers or runs fixed A-to-B routes hauling harvest totes and materials; 550+ robots sold and ~300,000 autonomous hours across the US, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Israel and Latin America.
Best for: Labour-squeezed berry, table-grape and nursery operations that lose picker time to walking full trays back to the collection point.Israeli dual-arm greenhouse robot that harvests vine tomatoes on pipe-rail systems using an AI 3D vision system, developed with Dutch greenhouse-tech partner Ridder. Running in Dutch greenhouses — validated at grower Lans in the 2025 NPPL-R trial by Wageningen UR (up to ~90% of eligible vines harvested, operator supervision still required) and picking ToBRFV-resistant varieties at Axia Vegetable Seeds' demo greenhouse.
Best for: Large Dutch-style vine-tomato greenhouses on pipe rails wanting to automate harvest labour, with tolerance for a validation-stage machine that needs supervision and a crop structure adapted to robotic picking.| Burro Verified 2026-07-16 | GRoW Verified 2026-07-17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Harvesting | Harvesting |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United States | Israel |
| Availability | Available now | Pilot / limited |
| EU market | Pending | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-17 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | 2.56 kWh LFP battery (base Burro), swappable | Electric, self-propelled on greenhouse pipe rails |
| Required tractor power | Not applicable | Not required (pipe-rail trolley platform) |
| Dimensions | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Weight | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | 2 ha | Not disclosed (targets large commercial greenhouses) |
| Productivity | Carries ~227 kg (500 lb); up to 16 km (10 mi) range per battery | WUR NPPL-R 2025: up to ~90% of vines meeting crop criteria harvested; cycle-time figures not published |
| Max speed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | Computer vision (people-following) · high-precision GPS · IP65-rated for 40 °C+ operation | AI 3D vision system with high-resolution colour imaging for truss detection and ripeness |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | ≈€21,000–72,000 | Not disclosed |
| Native price | US$25,000–85,000 depending on model (trade-press reported range) | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy per unit via Burro or distributors (e.g. AdeptAg in the US); fleet software included | Direct from MetoMotion / via partner Ridder (NL); demo-request sales process, commercial terms not published |
| Ongoing cost | Battery replacement by cycle life; software/fleet services | Not disclosed |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Fleet scale in commercial use 550+ robots sold, ~300,000 autonomous hours · vendor | Vine tomato harvest success (vines meeting crop criteria) ~90% harvest success · independent |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | No CE marking verifiable as of July 2026 | CE status not published; operates in Dutch commercial greenhouses |
| Machinery Regulation | Not established for the EU market; conformity under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 would be required for EU sales | Placed on the EU market with partner Ridder; Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions apply |
| CAP subsidy | Not applicable without EU availability | Greenhouse 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.