CLAWS vs Farming GT
Two weeding machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Concentrated Light Autonomous Weeding and Scouting (CLAWS) robot from UK startup Earth Rover — its patented Lightweeder destroys the meristem of individual weeds with a short pulse of concentrated (non-laser) light, chemical-free and zero-till, on a 100% battery + solar platform with 8 onboard cameras that double as a crop-scouting system. Order book opened Q3 2025; deliveries scheduled from Q1 2026 under a weeding-as-a-service model.
Best for: Organic and chemical-free vegetable and row-crop growers (UK first) who want herbicide-free, zero-till weed control plus per-plant scouting data, paid per hectare rather than as capex.Stuttgart-built autonomous hoeing robot that identifies crops from the 1 cm cotyledon stage across 100+ validated crops and weeds mechanically around the clock — 40+ robots working 1000+ fields, offered mainly as weeding-as-a-service.
Best for: Vegetable and row-crop growers in Germany and neighbouring EU countries with high hand-weeding costs who want herbicide-free in-row hoeing without buying hardware.| CLAWS Verified 2026-07-17 | Farming GT Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom | Germany |
| Availability | Pre-order | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-17 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | 100% electric — battery + solar; battery alone runs roughly half a day, solar panels extend to a full day | Battery-electric · 24+ h runtime |
| Required tractor power | Is the vehicle (lightweight autonomous platform, no tractor needed) | Not required (self-propelled, no tractor or driver) |
| Dimensions | ~2 m working width; other dimensions not disclosed | Track width variable 138–225 cm (convertible in ~15 min) |
| Weight | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | ~1.5 ha per 8 h day demonstrated; ~4 ha/day targeted for the commercial fully autonomous machine, weed burden depending | Up to 10 ha per 24 h, unsupervised day and night |
| Max speed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | 8 onboard cameras (stereo imaging) · AI per-plant identification · satellite navigation · FIELD digital-twin scouting software | AI multispectral plant/stem detection from 1 cm size · row guidance without GNSS dependency · collision and rain sensors |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Weeding as a service, charged per hectare — positioned at parity with tractor-based weeding and below manual weeding cost | Primarily weeding-as-a-service; direct machine sale on request |
| Ongoing cost | Service-model pricing per hectare; no published machine list price | Service pricing not published |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Herbicide use Chemical-free concentrated-light weeding, zero-till; controls ALS-resistant weeds (Niab-tested, vendor-reported) · vendor | Herbicide use −100% · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | Not verified — pre-series Beta Pioneer machine, UK-focused rollout | CE-conform per vendor (Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC compliance stated) |
| Machinery Regulation | Post-Brexit UK machine; EU conformity route not published | Vendor states 2006/42/EC compliance; 2023/1230 transition status not published |
| CAP subsidy | Chemical-free zero-till weeding aligns with CAP eco-scheme goals, but no EU sales channel is evidenced yet | Herbicide-free mechanical weeding aligns with eco-scheme goals; no formal listing verified |
"—" 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.