Seeding · head to head
FD20 vs Xaver
Two seeding machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
FarmDroid · Denmark
Solar-powered robot that both seeds and weeds — it remembers where each seed went.
Best for: Sugar beet, onion and herb growers wanting chemical-free weeding referenced to the seeding map.Fendt (AGCO) · Germany
Fendt's long-running swarm-seeding research project — small 48 V battery robots planting maize in coordinated fleets. Still a development programme, not a purchasable product; the newest Xaver 104 GT prototype was shown at Agritechnica 2025.
Best for: Watching, not buying — growers interested in where AGCO's small-robot autonomy is heading.| FD20 Verified 2026-07-16 | Xaver Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Seeding | Seeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | Denmark | Germany |
| Availability | Available now | Pilot / limited |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | ~14 wk | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Solar + battery buffer · runs day and night | Battery-electric · 48 V Li-ion, 1.8 or 2.6 kWh (2020 generation) |
| Required tractor power | Not required (self-propelled) | Not required (self-propelled swarm units) |
| Dimensions | 3.00 × 2.90 × 2.20 m | Compact three-wheel unit (exact dimensions not published) |
| Weight | 800 kg | 150 kg empty · up to 250 kg ballasted |
| Min farm size | 20 ha | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Field capacity up to 6 ha per unit (~20 ha seeded+weeded per season) | Swarm of six covers ~3 ha/h seeding (2020 generation demo) |
| Max speed | 0.95 km/h | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | RTK-GPS (±2 cm) · seed-map memory · tilt & safety sensors | GNSS-based cloud path planning · per-seed geo-logging |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | from €75,000 | Not disclosed |
| Native price | from €75,000 | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy · lease · national capital grants often apply | Not for sale — research/pilot programme; no commercial channel announced |
| Ongoing cost | €1,100/yr service; negligible energy cost (solar) | Not applicable (not commercialised) |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Weeding + seeding labour −85% · vendor | Seeding documentation Every seed geo-logged individually via cloud planning · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked (2021) | Not CE marked — prototype/research hardware |
| Machinery Regulation | Compliant — Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 | Not placed on the EU market; no conformity assessment published |
| CAP subsidy | Widely grant-funded; DK & DE precision-ag schemes | Not applicable — cannot be purchased |
"—" 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.