Robocrop InRow Weeder vs Inter-Plant Weeder SA-AI
Two weeding machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Long-established tractor-mounted vision-guided weeder — video image analysis at 30 frames/second locates each individual plant and steers rotating in-row weeding discs around it, killing weeds between rows AND between plants within the row to ~8 mm of the stem. The 2025-season Robocrop AI upgrade adds green-on-green recognition fusing colour, infrared and depth imaging. Like One Smart Spray, this is AI-driven intelligence on a conventional tractor implement, not a standalone robot.
Best for: Transplanted vegetable growers (lettuce, brassicas, celery) and sugar-beet farms replacing hand-weeding gangs or herbicides with camera-guided mechanical in-row weeding on their existing tractor.Tractor-mounted, chemical-free in-row weeder from SPAPPERI N.T. S.R.L. (Città di Castello, Italy; est. 1964). A hydraulic PTO-driven frame (1-4 rows) carries per-row "BOX AI" units — a 3D camera plus AI vision developed with Czech partner Ullmanna — that detect each plant's root and drive independent vertical rotary tillers or fixed knives to weed within the row. Spapperi's own brochure calls it both "SA-IA" and "SA-AI"; the product is marketed via that brochure and lead-gen listings rather than a dedicated page on Spapperi's main site as of this check.
Best for: Commercial vegetable and root-crop growers (Spapperi's own examples include lettuce, cabbage, pumpkin and sugar beet) who already run an appropriately-sized tractor with rear hydraulics and want mechanical in-row weed control without GPS guidance or chemical herbicides.| Robocrop InRow Weeder Verified 2026-07-16 | Inter-Plant Weeder SA-AI Verified 2026-07-19 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | AI-assisted | AI-assisted |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom | Italy |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-19 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Tractor-mounted implement, hydraulic drive | Tractor PTO-driven hydraulics — dedicated independent hydraulic circuit per weeding element, shared oil tank |
| Required tractor power | Conventional tractor required; hydraulic side-shift steering of the toolbar | Not disclosed — Spapperi specifies PTO-driven hydraulic transmission but publishes no minimum tractor horsepower figure for the SA-AI |
| Dimensions | Working widths up to 6 m / up to 20 rows supplied; larger builds available | Not disclosed — modular frame (1-4 rows, single or double planting-row spacing); overall width/length vary by configuration |
| Weight | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed — no hectare threshold published; the multi-row tractor-mounted design targets commercial vegetable/root-crop operations |
| Productivity | Forward speeds up to 6 plant spacings per second | 4,500-8,500 plants/hour per row, depending on in-plant spacing |
| Max speed | Crop-spacing dependent (up to 6 plants/s per row) | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | Robocrop video image analysis at 30 fps · Robocrop AI (2025) adds colour + infrared + depth green-on-green plant recognition · 10.1" in-cab terminal | 3D camera plus integrated lighting per weeding element ("BOX AI", AI vision by Ullmanna) for day/night plant-root detection; anti-collision sensors on each element arm; central "Power Box" CPU with GPS and internet connectivity |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy via Garford and its UK/international dealer network | Buy — tractor-mounted implement sold direct from Spapperi NT S.r.l. (Città di Castello, Italy); AI vision developed with Czech partner Ullmanna, integrated as Spapperi's "BOX AI - Ullmanna System" |
| Ongoing cost | Wear metal (discs, blades), camera care; no software subscription published | Interchangeable rotary-tiller/knife wear parts; hydraulic oil and PTO-pump upkeep; AI crop models update automatically over the internet (Spapperi states a new crop can be added in about 6 hours) |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | In-row weeding precision Mechanical weeding to ~8 mm from the plant stem · vendor | In-row weeding labour Vendor testimonial states each row unit replaces about 10 manual workers · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked for EU sales; UKCA for the UK market | Not disclosed — no CE-marking statement found for the SA-AI on Spapperi's site, its brochure, or the dealer-contact page |
| Machinery Regulation | Tractor-mounted implement under the EU machinery regime; operator remains in control | Not disclosed — would fall under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 as a mounted implement with AI-driven functions if placed on the EU market; no explicit compliance statement found |
| CAP subsidy | Mechanical/herbicide-free weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and organic conversion measures | Not disclosed — mechanical/AI in-row weeding removes herbicide use, which is relevant to CAP eco-schemes rewarding reduced chemical inputs, but Spapperi does not tie the SA-AI to CAP explicitly |
"—" 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.