Weeding · head to head
AX-1 vs F601 eWeeder
Two weeding machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Kilter AS · Norway
Norwegian ultra-precision weeding robot for open-field vegetables — an AI vision system detects individual weeds and a patented Single-Drop nozzle (SDT) fires one micro-droplet of herbicide directly onto each weed at 6x6mm resolution, cutting herbicide input by a manufacturer-claimed average of 96.6%. Independently tested by Wageningen University & Research at over 99% spray-drift reduction (Dutch DRT99, the system's highest class), and commercially deployed since 2021 across Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia, with a 2025 Kubota partnership now expanding EU dealer-network sales.
Best for: Open-field vegetable and root-crop growers (carrots, onions, beets, celery/celeriac, spinach, salads, parsley and similar) in Norway and neighbouring EU markets who still spray herbicide and want to sharply cut volume and drift without switching to purely mechanical or laser weeding.RootWave (Ubiqutek Ltd) · United Kingdom
UK-made tractor-towed electric weeder for orchards, vineyards and other fruit rows — high-frequency (18 kHz) current passed into weeds through articulated treatment arms boils the plant and its roots without herbicide. Sold and commercially deployed (not a pilot/prototype) through regional distributors in the UK, Benelux and DACH region; RootWave (a Ubiqutek Ltd brand) raised a $15m round in mid-2025 to fund wider EU/US rollout.
Best for: Commercial orchard, vineyard and other perennial-fruit growers in the UK, Benelux or DACH region who already run an 80 hp+ tractor and want chemical-free in-row weed control, especially on sites where herbicide use is restricted (near water, organic-transition blocks, sensitive land).| AX-1 Verified 2026-07-18 | F601 eWeeder Verified 2026-07-19 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | AI-assisted |
| Country of origin | Norway | United Kingdom |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | Pending | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-18 | 2026-07-19 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Electric drive with a small onboard petrol generator (per GOFAR robotics database; not itemized on the manufacturer's own site) | Tractor-towed implement; high-frequency (18 kHz) electric weeding current generated on-board and delivered via electrode-tipped treatment arms (not battery/mains powered) |
| Required tractor power | Not required (self-propelled autonomous unit) | Minimum 80 hp tractor required (draft/PTO-mounted) |
| Dimensions | Approx. 220 x 215 x 150 cm (third-party listing; not published by Kilter) | Not disclosed |
| Weight | 280 kg dry / 365 kg wet (GOFAR database; distributed to minimise soil compaction) | 1,500 kg |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Not disclosed — third-party estimates conflict (0.33-1 ha/hr) and Kilter does not publish a figure | Up to 5 km/h on light weed pressure (<10 cm weeds, low density); drops to as low as 1 km/h on dense, large (>40 cm) weed growth, per RootWave's own treatment-speed table. Manufacturer states the system can be used on 2-5x more days per season than chemical herbicides or mechanical weeders because it has fewer weather restrictions |
| Max speed | Up to 2 km/h (third-party listing; not published by Kilter) | Up to 5 km/h (weed size/density dependent — see productivity) |
| Sensors | AI vision with a deep-learning neural network for real-time weed/crop detection at 6x6mm targeting resolution; RTK-GNSS (dual-antenna) and IMU for autonomous navigation (third-party listing) | Automated weed/crop sensing — treatment arms detect crop position and trigger a "break-back" function to move around plants automatically while continuously treating weeds between them |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | ≈€130,000 | Not disclosed |
| Native price | ≈€130,000 (third-party: Future Farming robot database — Kilter quotes individually) | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Buy — direct from Kilter AS (Langhus, Norway) via a consultative sales process (farm details submitted for a quote; no public price list), or through regional distributors such as Croplands (Australia). A Kubota partnership (announced at Agritechnica 2025) is expanding dealer-network sales in Germany and the Netherlands through 2025-2026. | Capital equipment purchase, sold through RootWave's regional distributor network rather than direct-only — Kirkland UK (official UK supplier, appointed 2025), Cofabel (exclusive distributor for Belgium and the Netherlands), and Zürn Harvesting (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Pricing is not published; buyers must request a quote from RootWave or a distributor. |
| Ongoing cost | Herbicide/bio-herbicide refills (any crop-registered agrochemical usable in a boom sprayer, e.g. pelargonic acid); Single-Drop nozzle module (SDT-N2) wear parts. Specific service cost figures not disclosed. | No herbicide/chemical spend. Ongoing cost is the towing tractor's diesel — RootWave states the F601's own energy draw is 50-98 MJ/ha versus 500+ MJ/ha for herbicide production and application — plus routine equipment upkeep; specific service/consumable costs are not published. |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Spray drift vs. a conventional reference sprayer More than 99% spray-drift reduction — qualifies for DRT99, the highest class in the Dutch drift-reduction classification system · independent | Per-hectare energy use for in-row weed control 80%+ lower energy use per hectare than herbicide-based control · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | No explicit CE-marking statement found on Kilter's public materials; the AX-1 is sold and in active commercial/pilot use in EU member states (Sweden, Germany, Netherlands) and passed independent Dutch DRT99 spray-drift certification (WUR/TCT) | Not disclosed — no explicit CE-marking statement found across the manufacturer's homepage, F601 brochure PDF or about page. The machine is sold via distributors into the EU (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria), which would typically require CE marking, but this was not directly confirmed in materials reviewed |
| Machinery Regulation | Not explicitly addressed by the manufacturer; as an autonomous field-spraying machine placed on EU markets, would fall under the autonomous-machine provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 if formally assessed | As a tractor-towed/mounted implement operated by a human driver (no autonomous navigation), the F601 would fall under the general provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 rather than its autonomous-machine annex; specific conformity documentation is not published by RootWave |
| CAP subsidy | Precision spot-application (manufacturer-claimed ~95-96.6% herbicide reduction) supports CAP eco-scheme and integrated-pest-management / pesticide-reduction objectives | Chemical-free electric weed control aligns with CAP eco-scheme goals around reduced pesticide/herbicide use, though RootWave's own materials do not reference CAP or specific EU eco-scheme programmes |
"—" 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.