TOR laser weeder vs Field Friend (Feldfreund)
Two weeding machines, one verified table. Every figure below is sourced and dated; vendor claims are labelled and kept apart from independent results.
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.Modular AI mini field robot from Zauberzeug (Havixbeck, Münsterland) — a ~100 kg tracked platform under 1 m³ that uses onboard camera AI (the "Zauberzeug Robot Brain" edge-compute unit) to distinguish crops from weeds and mechanically remove them, including deep-rooted weeds. Offered both as a pay-per-hour weeding service (no machine purchase) and as a development platform; trade press reported roughly €20,000 for the machine with tools up to ~€5,000 extra. Winner of the Münsterland Innovation Award 2023/24.
Best for: Small-scale German vegetable and row-crop growers, market gardens and research users who want camera-guided mechanical in-row weeding without a big capex — pay per hour of weeding done.| TOR laser weeder Verified 2026-07-17 | Field Friend (Feldfreund) Verified 2026-07-17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Task | Weeding | Weeding |
| Autonomy | Fully autonomous | Fully autonomous |
| Country of origin | Netherlands | Germany |
| Availability | Available now | Available now |
| EU market | CE-marked | CE-marked |
| Lead time | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Last verified | 2026-07-17 | 2026-07-17 |
| Specifications | ||
| Power source | Battery-electric with solar panel; swappable battery, ~10 h operation at standard weed density | Battery-electric; solar panel and backup battery cited for extended operation |
| Required tractor power | Is the vehicle (autonomous laser-weeding platform) | Is the vehicle (compact tracked mini robot) |
| Dimensions | Working width 1.5 m (TOR Flex); 1.8 m and 3.0 m versions announced | Under 1 m³ compact footprint (dev-kit chassis: 845 × 670 × 685 mm) |
| Weight | Not disclosed | ~100 kg (dev-kit chassis 100 kg) |
| Min farm size | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Productivity | ~1.3 ha/day autonomous; ~1 ha per 18.5 h at 360 m/h at standard weed density | Not disclosed |
| Max speed | 360–500 m/h working speed | Not disclosed |
| Sensors | Camera AI crop/weed discrimination (crop hit rate <2% on trained crops) · GPS-RTK navigation | Camera AI crop/weed differentiation · GPS-RTK navigation · Zauberzeug Robot Brain edge-AI computer |
| Price & model | ||
| Price (EUR) | from €214,000 | ~€20,000 |
| Native price | from €214,000 (TOR Flex) + €14,980/yr service, support and maintenance | ~€20,000 (machine, trade-press reported, Nov 2024) + up to ~€5,000 tools; service model priced per hour |
| Business model | Direct sale by Trabotyx B.V.; maximum 10 machines available for the 2026 season; Dutch robotics subsidy rounds have applied | Pay-per-hour weeding service as the headline model; machine and dev-kit purchase also offered |
| Ongoing cost | €14,980 per year service, support and maintenance; battery cycling | Service model includes maintenance; battery cycling and tool wear if machine is owned |
| Key outcome | ||
| Best verified result | Weed pressure -91% · vendor | Herbicide use Camera-guided mechanical single-weed removal, herbicide-free, including deep-rooted weeds · vendor |
| EU context | ||
| CE marking | Dutch-built machine launched commercially June 2025; CE marking not independently verified | German-built machine operating commercially in Germany; CE status not independently verified |
| Machinery Regulation | EU-built series product; conformity route under the EU machinery regime not published | EU-built; conformity route under the EU machinery regime not published |
| CAP subsidy | Chemical-free zero-till weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and organic goals; Dutch national robotics subsidies have covered TOR purchases | Herbicide-free mechanical weeding supports CAP eco-scheme and organic goals |
"—" 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.