Thorvald vs Solix
Two spraying machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
Norwegian autonomous UV-C robot that replaces fungicide sprays for powdery mildew control — working at night in UK tabletop strawberries (used by 13 leading growers, around 20–30% of the national tabletop crop) and California vineyards, where over 150 Thorvald 3.0 units ran the 2025 season. Delivered as a service rather than a machine sale, with a vineyard-specific model launched for 2026.
Best for: Larger tabletop strawberry and wine-grape operations in Saga's service regions (UK, US) wanting to cut fungicide programmes without buying or operating robots themselves.Solar-powered scouting and spot-spraying robot from Brazilian-founded Solinftec (global HQ West Lafayette, Indiana) — lives in the field 24/7, monitors up to 2 million plants a day and applies herbicide plant-by-plant; 100+ robots deployed, US acreage up 243% year-on-year into 2026.
Best for: Large US corn-belt and Brazilian row-crop operations wanting continuous in-field scouting plus targeted herbicide application without diesel or an operator.| Thorvald Verified 2026-07-17 | Solix Verified 2026-07-16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Spraying | Spraying |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | Norway | Brazil |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | Pending |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-17 | 2026-07-16 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Battery-electric · 48 V Li-Ion 70 Ah (space for a second battery) · charges from a regular outlet | Solar panels + battery backup (up to 3 days operation without direct sun) |
| Required tractor power | Not required (self-propelled modular platform) | Not applicable |
| Dimensions | Modular platform; configuration-dependent, not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Weight | ~200 kg | ~500 kg (sprayer version) |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | 200 ha |
| Productivity | Fleet-scale service: ~2,500 acres of US vineyard treated; ~20% of UK tabletop strawberry crop | Monitors up to 2 million plants/day; ~12 gal tank on a 40 ft spot-spray boom |
| Max speed | Typically under 5 km/h in operation | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | Autonomous navigation stack; crop-counting cameras (up to 3 million crop counts per robot per night, vendor claim) | ALICE AI platform · 8 high-resolution cameras · plant-by-plant weed, insect, disease and population detection |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Native price | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Business model | UV-C treatment as a service — Saga deploys, operates and maintains robot fleets; growers pay for treatment rather than buying machines | Commercial terms not publicly disclosed; deployed via Solinftec programs in the US and Brazil |
| Ongoing cost | Service fee (not published); no grower-side machine ownership | ALICE platform subscription/service relationship with Solinftec |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Fungicide use for powdery mildew −70–100% pesticide use (vendor claim) · vendor | Plants monitored per day up to 2 million plants/day per robot · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | CE status not published; UV-C units carry light-exposure safety interlocks for night operation | No CE marking verifiable as of July 2026 |
| Machinery Regulation | Placed on the EU/UK market by Saga Robotics; Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 autonomous-machine provisions apply | Not established for the EU market; conformity under Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 would be required for EU sales |
| CAP subsidy | Large pesticide reduction supports EU pesticide-reduction and eco-scheme goals (service currently UK/US/NO, not EU-27) | Not applicable without EU availability |
"—" 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.