TRAXX autonomous straddle vs SwarmBot
Two autonomous tractor machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Single-row autonomous diesel straddle tractor for narrow vineyards from Exxact Robotics, the R&D arm of Exel Industries (commercialised via Tecnoma) — 56 hp low-RPM diesel, 30–35 h per 110 L tank, hydraulic Poclain 4WD/4WS transmission with crab mode, slopes to 35–38%. In series production and delivered to customers since 2023; a hydrogen fuel-cell variant (TRAXX Concept H2, 35 kW) has been unveiled as a concept.
Best for: Narrow French vineyards wanting a driverless workhorse for soil work and spraying with long diesel endurance (30–35 h) and low soil compaction (~1.8 t).Australian autonomous farming platform from SwarmFarm Robotics (Gindie, near Emerald, QLD) — a diesel-powered (86 HP), ISOBUS-connected carrier chassis that autonomously drives interchangeable implements (spot-sprayers incl. Weed-It, mowers, spreaders) across broadacre grain and cotton paddocks, rather than one dedicated tool; categorised here as "tractor" for that reason, with spraying/mowing/spreading sold as attachment packages. Commercially available in Australia since 2018 (current generation SwarmBot 5; TRL 10, ~120 units in service, over 5,000,000 acres worked); not sold or serviced outside Australia.
Best for: Broadacre Australian grain and cotton growers (SwarmFarm's own case studies run ~2,000 ha) wanting a diesel-powered, multi-implement autonomous platform for fallow spot-spraying, mowing and spreading, bought or leased direct from the manufacturer.| TRAXX autonomous straddle Verified 2026-07-16 | SwarmBot Verified 2026-07-18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Autonomous tractor | Autonomous tractor |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | France | Australia |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-18 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Diesel — 56 hp low-RPM engine, 110 L tank, 3–4 L/h consumption | Diesel-powered self-propelled platform · 86 HP engine |
| Required tractor power | Is the vehicle (single-row straddle; hydraulic Poclain 4WD/4WS, crab mode) | Not required — self-propelled autonomous carrier (86 HP diesel) |
| Dimensions | Clearance 160 cm standard (175 cm option in development); turning radius <5 m; tracks 116 or 140 cm | Not disclosed |
| Weight | ~1,800 kg without tools | 2.5 tonnes (SwarmBot 5, current generation); earlier/smaller platform variants reported lighter — exact figure varies by configuration |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed by SwarmFarm; case-study deployments are on 2,000+ ha broadacre grain/cotton properties |
| Productivity | 30–35 h work per tank of fuel | Up to 1,000 acres (400 ha) per day for field spraying operations |
| Max speed | Up to 6 km/h | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | RTK GPS centimetre path following · obstacle and human-presence detection (high-sensitivity bumpers, LIDAR) · remote manual mode via ergonomic remote control | Computer-vision weed detection (integrates third-party optical spot-spray sensors such as Weed-It); GPS-guided autonomous navigation with obstacle detection and path planning |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | ~€150,000 | Not disclosed |
| Native price | ~€150,000 depending on tools | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Sold and serviced via Tecnoma (Exel Industries subsidiary) in France | Direct sales from SwarmFarm Robotics (Gindie/Emerald, QLD); early commercial units were also offered on a managed lease basis at commercial launch (~AUD 6,000/month reported in 2018 trade press) — current purchase/lease pricing is not published |
| Ongoing cost | Diesel (3–4 L/h); hydraulic system and tool wear parts; Tecnoma service | Not disclosed — no published service/subscription fee schedule; integrating third-party attachments (e.g. Weed-It spot-spray sensors) adds cost |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Onboard operator Driverless GPS path-following across the whole plot; remote supervision · vendor | Weed density in fallow paddocks under fortnightly SwarmBot spot-spraying -18 percentage points (~90% relative reduction) over 8 weeks · independent |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked — series product sold on the French market with Exel Industries industrial backing | Not applicable — Australian domestic product; no evidence found of CE marking or EU market placement |
| Machinery Regulation | French-built series product; conformity maintained under the EU machinery regime | Not applicable — not placed on the EU market; would need to meet Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions if it entered EU sale |
| CAP subsidy | Reduced compaction and mechanical weeding tool support CAP goals; diesel drive offers no emissions benefit until the H2 variant ships | Not applicable — Australian machine, no CAP/EU eco-scheme relevance |
"—" 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.