Robot One vs Robovator
Two weeding machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Solar-assisted laser weeding robot from Almkerk-based Pixelfarming Robotics — high-power laser modules burst weed cells at the two-leaf stage, chemical-free. Two frame sizes (3.20–3.60 m and 5.80–6.20 m working width) with 360°-rotating wheel units for configurable track widths; four 48 V hot-swappable batteries topped up by roof solar panels, optional diesel range extender for 24/7 work. Machines are working on farms in Europe and Canada; delivery 16–20 working weeks by production batch.
Best for: Fine vegetable and specialty growers (spinach, onion, babyleaf, leek, chicory, herbs, tulips) wanting chemical-free, no-till-disturbance weed control with an open, retrainable crop-detection platform.Tractor-mounted, vision-guided intra-row hoeing implement from Danish manufacturer F. Poulsen Engineering — a camera above each row spots individual plants and hydraulically swings weeding knives out and back around them, removing weeds between plants without touching the crop. Commercially sold since the early 2010s and independently trialled in US vegetable production; configurable from 5 to 31 rows and adjustable to 25–75 cm row spacing.
Best for: Vegetable, sugar-beet and row-crop growers with a suitable PTO tractor who want camera-guided mechanical in-row weeding to cut herbicide use and hand-weeding labour, across a wide range of farm scales (5- to 31-row configurations).| Robot One Verified 2026-07-16 | Robovator Verified 2026-07-18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | AI-assisted |
| Country of origin | Netherlands | Denmark |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | ~20 wk | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-18 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Solar + battery — four 48 V hot-swappable batteries, roof solar panels; optional diesel range extender for 24/7 hybrid operation | Tractor-mounted implement, PTO-driven hydraulics (~1 hp per row) |
| Required tractor power | Is the vehicle (autonomous laser tool carrier) | 3-point-hitch mounted; requires tractor PTO shaft speed of at least 420 rpm (hydraulic pressure and lamps cut out below ~360 rpm) |
| Dimensions | Working widths 3.20/3.40/3.60 m (Robot One 3.60) or 5.80/6.00/6.20 m (Robot One 6.20); transport width 1.80–2.20 m | Configurable 5 to 31 rows; row spacing adjustable 25–75 cm (9–30 in); US-market spec sheet lists 6–12 lines per bed with 60–84 in bed spacing |
| Weight | Not disclosed | 700 kg (1,500 lb) base weight |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | ~10,000 laser shots/h per laser unit; e.g. 300TR with 10 lasers ran 200 m/h in babyleaf at 90% kill rate (vendor); working speed 150–1,000 m/h | Roughly 1.5–2 acres/hour depending on soil and plant conditions (per Pacific Ag Rentals, US distributor); manufacturer-stated field speed 2–8 km/h (1.2–5 mph) |
| Max speed | Working speed 150–1,000 m/h depending on configuration and weed pressure | 2–8 km/h (1.2–5 mph) |
| Sensors | Camera-based crop/weed detection · GPS + RTK autonomous navigation · optional bedtop lighting for improved detection | One plant-detection camera per row for image-based crop location, functions in low light; automatic self-centring side-shift (±40 cm range, engages after ~1 m of travel) |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | Quote-based purchase direct or via dealers (NL, DE, UK, Scandinavia, FR, CA); delivery 16–20 working weeks by production batch | Buy — tractor-mounted implement sold direct from F. Poulsen Engineering (Denmark) and via distributors, including Agri Evolution (Netherlands, EU) and Pacific Ag Rentals (Salinas, California, western US) |
| Ongoing cost | Battery cycling; laser module service; 4G/5G data; optional diesel for range extender | Wear parts (weeding knives/blades, camera lens care), hydraulic fluid and PTO shaft maintenance; no software subscription published |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Herbicide use Chemical-free laser weeding (exothermic cell burst at two-leaf stage) · vendor | Intra-row weed removal vs. a standard cultivator +18 to +41 percentage points · independent |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked — EU-built series product operating on European farms | No CE-marking statement found in the manufacturer's public materials, so compliance is listed as not confirmed — although CE marking is legally required to place machinery on the EU market and F. Poulsen actively sells within the EU (Denmark, and via Netherlands distributor Agri Evolution) |
| Machinery Regulation | Dutch-built; sold with a continuous-human-supervision requirement to meet current autonomous-machinery rules | Tractor-mounted implement falling under the EU Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230; the tractor operator remains in control at all times |
| CAP subsidy | Chemical-free weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and pesticide-reduction goals; solar assist reduces energy footprint | Herbicide-free/reduced mechanical in-row weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and organic-conversion measures |
"—" 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.