ARA vs Thorvald
Two spraying machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Tractor-drawn smart sprayer that treats each plant individually with centimetre precision.
Best for: Growers cutting herbicide/pesticide spend hard while keeping an existing tractor fleet.Norwegian autonomous UV-C robot that replaces fungicide sprays for powdery mildew control — working at night in UK tabletop strawberries (used by 13 leading growers, around 20–30% of the national tabletop crop) and California vineyards, where over 150 Thorvald 3.0 units ran the 2025 season. Delivered as a service rather than a machine sale, with a vineyard-specific model launched for 2026.
Best for: Larger tabletop strawberry and wine-grape operations in Saga's service regions (UK, US) wanting to cut fungicide programmes without buying or operating robots themselves.| ARA Verified 2026-07-16 | Thorvald Verified 2026-07-17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Spraying | Spraying |
| Autonomy | AI-assisted | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | Switzerland | Norway |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | CE-marked |
| Lead time | ~18 wk | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-17 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Tractor PTO + hydraulics; onboard AI compute | Battery-electric · 48 V Li-Ion 70 Ah (space for a second battery) · charges from a regular outlet |
| Required tractor power | 80 hp minimum | Not required (self-propelled modular platform) |
| Dimensions | 6.00 m working width folded to 3.0 m transport | Modular platform; configuration-dependent, not disclosed |
| Weight | 1,900 kg | ~200 kg |
| Min farm size | 30 ha | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Up to 4 ha/hour | Fleet-scale service: ~2,500 acres of US vineyard treated; ~20% of UK tabletop strawberry crop |
| Max speed | 7 km/h working | Typically under 5 km/h in operation |
| Sensors | High-res cameras · per-plant recognition · section control | Autonomous navigation stack; crop-counting cameras (up to 3 million crop counts per robot per night, vendor claim) |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | €165,000 | Not disclosed |
| Native price | €165,000 | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy · lease · contractor revenue-share options | UV-C treatment as a service — Saga deploys, operates and maintains robot fleets; growers pay for treatment rather than buying machines |
| Ongoing cost | €3,200/yr software + agronomic subscription | Service fee (not published); no grower-side machine ownership |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Herbicide applied (dock control, grassland) −90%+ · independent | Fungicide use for powdery mildew −70–100% pesticide use (vendor claim) · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked (2022) | CE status not published; UV-C units carry light-exposure safety interlocks for night operation |
| Machinery Regulation | Compliant — Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 | Placed on the EU/UK market by Saga Robotics; Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions apply |
| CAP subsidy | Eligible under CAP; SW & FR precision-spraying subsidies | Large pesticide reduction supports EU pesticide-reduction and eco-scheme goals (service currently UK/US/NO, not EU-27) |
"—" 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.