Spraying · head to head
ARA vs SharpShooter
Two spraying machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Ecorobotix · Switzerland
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.Verdant Robotics, Inc. · United States
US-built AI-guided precision-application implement (Verdant Robotics calls it "SharpShooter" — not "Spraybox"; see maker note below) that identifies each plant with 3D machine vision and fires a targeted micro-dose of herbicide, fertiliser or biological product rather than blanket-spraying the field. Tractor-drawn via a standard 3-point hitch; commercially available with expanded nationwide US availability announced May 2025; no EU sales or CE evidence found.
Best for: Large US specialty-crop operations (leafy greens, root vegetables, tree fruit) running a tractor that can supply ~6.5 GPM hydraulic flow and lift ~3,000 lb, that want to cut blanket-spray chemical volume and hand-weeding labour and are comfortable with a quote-based purchase-plus-financing deal rather than a published price.| ARA Verified 2026-07-16 | SharpShooter Verified 2026-07-19 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Spraying | Spraying |
| Autonomy | AI-assisted | AI-assisted |
| Country of origin | Switzerland | United States |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | ~18 wk | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-19 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Tractor PTO + hydraulics; onboard AI compute | Tractor-hydraulic implement — no PTO required, needs approximately 6.5 GPM hydraulic flow from the towing tractor |
| Required tractor power | 80 hp minimum | Any tractor able to lift approximately 3,000 lb via a Class I/II 3-point hitch and supply ~6.5 GPM hydraulic flow — no minimum engine power or PTO published |
| Dimensions | 6.00 m working width folded to 3.0 m transport | 20-ft working-width configuration (Model B); folds to a compact travel position for towing on a standard gooseneck trailer |
| Weight | 1,900 kg | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | 30 ha | No published minimum; named commercial deployments (e.g. My-T Acres, NY; TopFlavor Farms) are large multi-thousand-acre specialty-crop operations |
| Productivity | Up to 4 ha/hour | Up to 7 acres/hour (2.8 ha/hr) field coverage; up to approximately 500,000 plants/hour at 120–480 targeting shots/second |
| Max speed | 7 km/h working | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | High-res cameras · per-plant recognition · section control | AI-powered 3D field mapping and machine vision ("Aim & Apply") for real-time crop/weed identification and millimetre-level targeting; multiple application turrets; tablet-based operator interface with live visual confirmation of detection and targeting |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | €165,000 | Not disclosed |
| Native price | €165,000 | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy · lease · contractor revenue-share options | Purchase, with financing available through Verdant Robotics or its finance partners; price varies by configuration, crop, region and dealer — contact sales for a quote (verdantrobotics.com/faqs, 2026). Sold direct and through regional authorised dealers (e.g. Ag Technologies for the US Southeast). Note a conflict across sources — Future Farming's coverage described Verdant's offering as Robotics-as-a-Service, but the company's current 2026 FAQ describes a purchase-plus-financing model with no RaaS mentioned, so RaaS is not reflected here as the current model. |
| Ongoing cost | €3,200/yr software + agronomic subscription | Consumable spray solution/inputs; routine cleaning of spray boxes, filter checks and nozzle inspection (verdantrobotics.com/faqs) |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Herbicide applied (dock control, grassland) −90%+ · independent | Chemical volume vs. blanket spraying Up to 99% less chemical volume applied · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked (2022) | Not confirmed — no CE-marking evidence found; the product is US-designed and -built and, as of 2026, sold only in the US market |
| Machinery Regulation | Compliant — Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 | No EU placement found; would fall under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions if ever placed on the EU market |
| CAP subsidy | Eligible under CAP; SW & FR precision-spraying subsidies | Not applicable — US-only sales, outside EU CAP scope |
"—" 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.