Robot One 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.
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.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).| Robot One Verified 2026-07-16 | F601 eWeeder Verified 2026-07-19 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | AI-assisted |
| Country of origin | Netherlands | United Kingdom |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | ~20 wk | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-16 | 2026-07-19 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Solar + battery — four 48 V hot-swappable batteries, roof solar panels; optional diesel range extender for 24/7 hybrid operation | 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 | Is the vehicle (autonomous laser tool carrier) | Minimum 80 hp tractor required (draft/PTO-mounted) |
| 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 | Not disclosed |
| Weight | Not disclosed | 1,500 kg |
| 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 | 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 | Working speed 150–1,000 m/h depending on configuration and weed pressure | Up to 5 km/h (weed size/density dependent — see productivity) |
| Sensors | Camera-based crop/weed detection · GPS + RTK autonomous navigation · optional bedtop lighting for improved detection | 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) | 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 | 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 | Battery cycling; laser module service; 4G/5G data; optional diesel for range extender | 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 | Herbicide use Chemical-free laser weeding (exothermic cell burst at two-leaf stage) · vendor | Per-hectare energy use for in-row weed control 80%+ lower energy use per hectare than herbicide-based control · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE marked — EU-built series product operating on European farms | 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 | Dutch-built; sold with a continuous-human-supervision requirement to meet current autonomous-machinery rules | 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 | Chemical-free weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and pesticide-reduction goals; solar assist reduces energy footprint | 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.