Honeybee vs Robot One
Two weeding machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
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.Solar-assisted laser weeding robot from Almkerk-based Pixelfarming Robotics — high-power laser modules burst weed cells at the two-leaf stage, chemical-free. Two frame sizes (3.20–3.60 m and 5.80–6.20 m working width) with 360°-rotating wheel units for configurable track widths; four 48 V hot-swappable batteries topped up by roof solar panels, optional diesel range extender for 24/7 work. Machines are working on farms in Europe and Canada; delivery 16–20 working weeks by production batch.
Best for: Fine vegetable and specialty growers (spinach, onion, babyleaf, leek, chicory, herbs, tulips) wanting chemical-free, no-till-disturbance weed control with an open, retrainable crop-detection platform.| Honeybee Verified 2026-07-16 | Robot One Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | Switzerland | Netherlands |
| Availability | Pre-order | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | ~20 wk |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Battery-electric — over 24 h per battery set, two sets supplied for 24/7 operation | Solar + battery — four 48 V hot-swappable batteries, roof solar panels; optional diesel range extender for 24/7 hybrid operation |
| Required tractor power | Is the vehicle (self-propelled) | Is the vehicle (autonomous laser tool carrier) |
| Dimensions | Track width configurable 1.50–1.80 m (beds or dams) | Working widths 3.20/3.40/3.60 m (Robot One 3.60) or 5.80/6.00/6.20 m (Robot One 6.20); transport width 1.80–2.20 m |
| Weight | Not disclosed (smaller Grasshopper pilot unit — 300 kg) | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | ~10 ha annual crops (15+ ha ideal) | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | 24/7 capable; multiple robots can work the same field (Grasshopper pilot — ~80 m/h) | ~10,000 laser shots/h per laser unit; e.g. 300TR with 10 lasers ran 200 m/h in babyleaf at 90% kill rate (vendor); working speed 150–1,000 m/h |
| Max speed | Not disclosed | Working speed 150–1,000 m/h depending on configuration and weed pressure |
| Sensors | RTK-GNSS navigation · cameras with deep-learning crop/weed/soil segmentation | Camera-based crop/weed detection · GPS + RTK autonomous navigation · optional bedtop lighting for improved detection |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | ≈€220,000 | Not disclosed |
| Native price | ≈€220,000 purchase (4-laser) or ≈€65,000/year lease — trade-press figures, not published by Caterra | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Direct sales / pre-order via Caterra; one-year lease option reported | Quote-based purchase direct or via dealers (NL, DE, UK, Scandinavia, FR, CA); delivery 16–20 working weeks by production batch |
| Ongoing cost | Electricity; laser and optics service (terms not disclosed) | Battery cycling; laser module service; 4G/5G data; optional diesel for range extender |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Hand-weeding labour in organic vegetables Autonomous 24/7 laser weeding, herbicide-free · vendor | Herbicide use Chemical-free laser weeding (exothermic cell burst at two-leaf stage) · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | Not confirmed — pre-series/pre-order stage | CE marked — EU-built series product operating on European farms |
| Machinery Regulation | Swiss manufacturer — CH follows EU machinery rules via the CH–EU Mutual Recognition Agreement; EU-market conformity not yet demonstrated publicly | Dutch-built; sold with a continuous-human-supervision requirement to meet current autonomous-machinery rules |
| CAP subsidy | Herbicide-free weeding aligns with CAP eco-schemes and CH Absenkpfad (pesticide-reduction) goals | Chemical-free weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and pesticide-reduction goals; solar assist reduces energy footprint |
"—" 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.