Oz vs TOR laser weeder
Two weeding machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Compact electric weeding robot for vegetable beds and small market gardens.
Best for: Diversified market gardens under 5 ha wanting to cut hand-weeding without herbicide.First Dutch laser weeding robot, launched June 2025 by Trabotyx (Maarssen) — an autonomous GPS-RTK platform that kills weeds as small as 1 mm with blue diode lasers (adjustable to 200 W each, up to 6 lasers per machine), zero-till and chemical-free. Trained for nine vegetables (carrots, onions, lettuce, cabbage, herbs, spinach, beet, parsnip, chicory) and three flower-bulb crops (lilies, tulips, peonies), with under 2% crop hit rate. The TOR Flex works a 1.5 m width; production is capped at 10 machines for the 2026 season.
Best for: Dutch organic and low-input vegetable and flower-bulb growers who want chemical-free, zero-till in-row weed control — the laser removes weeds mechanical hoes miss without disturbing soil, and the vendor claims ~91% fewer weeds versus conventional practice.| Oz Verified 2026-07-16 | TOR laser weeder Verified 2026-07-17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | France | Netherlands |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | CE-marked |
| Lead time | ~12 wk | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-17 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Electric · swappable Li-ion, 8 h runtime | Battery-electric with solar panel; swappable battery, ~10 h operation at standard weed density |
| Required tractor power | Not required (self-propelled) | Is the vehicle (autonomous laser-weeding platform) |
| Dimensions | 1.30 × 1.20 × 1.15 m | Working width 1.5 m (TOR Flex); 1.8 m and 3.0 m versions announced |
| Weight | 150 kg | Not disclosed |
| Min farm size | 0.5 ha | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | Up to 1 ha/day | ~1.3 ha/day autonomous; ~1 ha per 18.5 h at 360 m/h at standard weed density |
| Max speed | 0.8 km/h | 360–500 m/h working speed |
| Sensors | RTK-GPS · LiDAR · stereo camera · bump guards | Camera AI crop/weed discrimination (crop hit rate <2% on trained crops) · GPS-RTK navigation |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | €28,000 | from €214,000 |
| Native price | €28,000 | from €214,000 (TOR Flex) + €14,980/yr service, support and maintenance |
| Business model | Buy outright · lease from €640/mo | Direct sale by Trabotyx B.V.; maximum 10 machines available for the 2026 season; Dutch robotics subsidy rounds have applied |
| Ongoing cost | €900/yr service contract + consumables | €14,980 per year service, support and maintenance; battery cycling |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Hand-weeding labour −86% · vendor | Weed pressure -91% · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked (2023) | Dutch-built machine launched commercially June 2025; CE marking not independently verified |
| Machinery Regulation | Compliant — Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 | EU-built series product; conformity route under the EU machinery regime not published |
| CAP subsidy | Eligible under CAP eco-scheme for precision weeding | Chemical-free zero-till weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and organic goals; Dutch national robotics subsidies have covered TOR purchases |
"—" 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.