Ecorobotix ARA (ARA620)

What it's for

The ARA (in its ARA620 version) does not drive itself around the field like a robot with a camera on wheels. It is a precision sprayer towed behind a tractor: at the front it has a tank, and at the rear a module with RGB and 3D cameras and 156 precision nozzles. The cameras recognize more than 50 weed species, and the machine applies the product on a 6x6 cm spot instead of spraying the whole surface. The working width reaches 6.20 m. A classic sprayer covers the whole canopy with herbicide. The ARA tells crop plants from weeds and aims only at the latter. The manufacturer claims herbicide use is cut by as much as 95%, and in one recorded case, in onion cultivation, by 96%. These are the manufacturer's figures. The applications are precision crop protection and weed control, according to the manufacturer in field crops and in vegetable growing. For agriculture it is an example of automation in which the robot is mainly a tool for reducing chemicals and costs, while the farmer remains the tractor driver. More on what robotics does on Polish fields today in the text “Robots in Farming: How Field Automation Looks in Poland”. Weeding without chemicals is offered by the Carbon Robotics LaserWeeder and the Naio Oz.

Who it's for

Makes sense for: large field and vegetable farms where crop-protection product use is a big cost item and EU rules force pesticide reduction. The manufacturer states that its units operate through a dealer network in more than 20 countries.

Who it does not suit: small farms, for which such a machine would be too expensive and too specialized a purchase. Availability in Poland is not confirmed and the manufacturer does not give a price, so today this is more a model to watch than to order. Nor is it a solution for crops that need multi-purpose equipment, because the ARA does one thing: spot spraying. If you want an autonomous robot that drives itself and works in the rows, look at the Naio Oz. If you are looking for a supplier in Poland, see “Polish Robotics Companies”.

Deployments

We have no confirmed ARA installations in Poland; availability in the country has not been verified. The manufacturer speaks of operation in more than 20 countries and of a dealer network, but does not name any farms that we could cite here. The only concrete experience in the description is the result for onion cultivation (a 96% reduction, according to the manufacturer). What is happening with robotics in Polish agriculture is described in “Robots in Farming: How Field Automation Looks in Poland”.

In our catalog there are two agricultural machines with a similar goal but different technology. Carbon Robotics LaserWeeder kills weeds with a laser, with no chemicals; the choice for farms that want to move away from herbicides entirely.

Naio Oz is a small autonomous robot for sowing, weeding and transport in the rows; for smaller vegetable crops.

The classic alternative is a sprayer with section control and GPS: cheaper, but it treats the whole canopy, not individual weeds.

You will find other specialized machines in the category “Specialist robots”.

Ecorobotix is a Swiss company whose range includes the ARA and the ARA620 version. The manufacturer says its machines work in more than 20 countries. We have no launch dates for individual generations or the year the company was founded, so we do not state them. The company chose a narrow specialization, precision spraying, over full autonomy of the agricultural machine. Company profile: Ecorobotix.