The problem
A conventional boom sprayer gives every square metre the same dose, whether a weed grows there or not. In vegetable fields, where weeds are often scattered and crops are sensitive, much of that product lands on bare soil or on the crop itself. The cost shows up in the input bill, in residues and drift that reach water and field margins, and in crop injury that lowers yields.
European growers face a second squeeze. Active substances keep losing approval, which leaves minor crops such as carrots, onions and leafy greens with fewer selective herbicides. Hand weeding is the fallback, but labour is expensive and scarce. Growers need a way to keep fields clean with far less chemistry and fewer people.
The product
ARA hangs on the three-point hitch of an ordinary tractor, so farmers do not need a new power unit. Under its hood sit cameras, lighting, onboard computers and a bank of small nozzles. When Future Farming covered the launch in January 2021, the machine carried a 600-litre tank, could hold up to four products and was rated at up to 96 hectares a day, partly because it can work after dark.
Ecorobotix says the system now supports more than 30 crop algorithms and recognises over 40 weed species, although its own boilerplate also gives “more than 25” algorithms, so the exact count depends on the release. The same plant-by-plant logic can target weeds with herbicide, or target crop plants with fungicide, insecticide or liquid fertiliser.
The range is widening. The ARA595, launched on 30 June 2026 for the 80-inch irrigated beds of California and Arizona, has a 19.7-foot working width, drives at up to 4.5 mph and covers up to 10 acres an hour. It has guides that steer around side sprinklers, and it also offers lettuce thinning.
How it works
- See. Cameras under a hood photograph the soil as the tractor moves.
- Classify. Crop-specific AI models label each plant as crop or weed.
- Decide. The operator’s settings choose which targets to treat, with optional safety zones around the crop.
- Spray. Individual nozzles fire onto a footprint of about 6 by 6 cm.
- Shield. The hood reduces wind drift onto neighbouring plants.
- Record. Spray maps and volumes are logged to the cloud for review.
Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Ecorobotix starts operating in Switzerland, according to the company |
| Jan 2021 | ARA mounted UHP sprayer launched |
| 16 Aug 2023 | ARA enters the US after sales in 13 European countries, Canada and South America |
| 2024 | Frontiers in Environmental Economics publishes an ARA study by Ecorobotix staff and partners |
| 13 Oct 2025 | $150 million confirmed across Series C ($45m) and Series D ($105m) |
| 17 Mar 2026 | 1,000 ARA sprayers sold worldwide |
| 24 Mar 2026 | $50 million, three-year US expansion; assembly with KMW in Lyons, Kansas |
| 30 Jun 2026 | ARA595 launched for irrigated beds in the western US |
| 16 Sep 2026 | Horttak named first distributor in Brazil |
Impact and numbers
The best evidence is a 2024 paper in Frontiers in Environmental Economics. Anonymised dashboard data from 57 ARA machines performing 1,682 weeding missions on onion fields in 2023 showed 78.9% of herbicide volume saved across 8,266 hectares compared with broadcast treatment, and one third of the treated area saved more than 90%. In a separate onion trial, ARA’s selective mode controlled 92% of weeds against 99% for broadcast spraying, with five applications instead of nine. Onion yields were 67 tonnes per hectare for ARA selective and 70 for ARA non-selective, against 43 for broadcast, which the authors link to less crop injury.
Newer results come from grass seed. In a 2025 trial at Oregon State University’s Hyslop Research Farm, ARA targeted 88% of Poa annua and Italian ryegrass in tall fescue, achieved an average 87% kill rate on targeted weeds and used 3.63 gallons per acre, an 84% saving across the field. The best results came when weed cover was below 10%.
Commercially, Ecorobotix announced 1,000 sprayers sold on 17 March 2026, across Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia. A week later it committed $50 million over three years to US operations, creating more than 80 jobs on top of a US team of 40. The company says ARA can cut plant protection product use by up to 95%; its 2023 US launch gave a 70 to 95% range for herbicide in vegetables.
Honest caveats
Who did the research. Three authors of the Frontiers paper were Ecorobotix employees and the company funded the Swiss trials; a German trial had Bavarian state support. The Oregon results are reported by Ecorobotix. Independent multi-season comparisons remain thin.
Weed pressure matters. The paper says strong weed pressure may bring only mild savings, and the Oregon trial worked best below 10% weed cover. The headline 95% figure is a best case.
Shifting numbers. The company gave more than 250 employees on 17 March 2026 and more than 300 a week later, and its crop algorithm count varies between releases.
Still chemistry. ARA reduces herbicide use but does not end it. It can make non-selective products such as glyphosate usable within crops, which some buyers and regulators may not welcome.
Cost and access. Ecorobotix does not publish list prices in the sources reviewed, and an implement with cameras, computers and a dealer service network is a significant investment for smaller farms. Buyers should ask for payback figures measured on their own crop.
What’s next
Ecorobotix is building out the Americas: Kansas assembly, university partnerships to train US crop algorithms, and field demonstrations in Brazil’s onion, garlic and carrot regions in the second half of 2026. The company also says it is extending plant-by-plant treatment from farms to turf and sports fields.
Why it matters for Europe and green buyers
For Europe, ARA is a home-grown answer to shrinking herbicide approvals and labour shortages, built by a Swiss company now selling in more than 30 countries. Documented spray maps can also help growers back up residue and biodiversity commitments to retailers.
For India, where vegetable growers face rising labour costs and heavy herbicide use, tractor-mounted spot spraying could suit larger horticulture farms once crop algorithms are trained for local conditions; no Indian deployment was found in the sources. For the world, using far less herbicide per hectare protects soil, water and the people who handle the chemicals.
Sources & image credits
- Future Farming, “ecoRobotix launches ARA high-precision mounted sprayer”, 28 January 2021. https://www.futurefarming.com/tech-in-focus/ecorobotix-launches-ara-high-precision-mounted-sprayer/
- Ecorobotix, “Ecorobotix’s ARA smart sprayer enters the US market”, 16 August 2023. https://ecorobotix.com/blog/ecorobotixs-ara-smart-sprayer-enters-the-us-market/
- Ecorobotix press, “Ecorobotix secures $150M to accelerate AI-powered plant-by-plant care”, 13 October 2025. https://press.ecorobotix.com/427920-ecorobotix-secures-150m-to-accelerate-ai-powered-plant-by-plant-care-unveiling-new-innovation-at-agritechnica
- Frontiers in Environmental Economics, “The reduction of chemical inputs by ultra-precise smart spot sprayer technology maximizes crop potential by lowering phytotoxicity”, 2024. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-economics/articles/10.3389/frevc.2024.1394315/full
- Ecorobotix, “Milestone Reached: 1,000 ARA UHP Sprayers Sold Worldwide”, 17 March 2026. https://ecorobotix.com/blog/ecorobotix-reaches-milestone-1000-ara-ultra-high-precision-sprayers-sold-worldwide/
- Ecorobotix press, “Ecorobotix Invests $50 Million to Expand U.S. Operations”, 24 March 2026. https://press.ecorobotix.com/451104-ecorobotix-invests-50-million-to-expand-us-operations-to-bring-swiss-engineered-precision-spraying-technology-to-american-farmers
- Ecorobotix press, “New ARA595 Sprayer Brings AI-Powered Precision to Irrigated Crops in the Western US”, 30 June 2026. https://press.ecorobotix.com/463054-new-ara595-sprayer-brings-ai-powered-precision-to-irrigated-crops-in-the-western-us
- Ecorobotix, “ARA Precision Sprayer Cuts Herbicide Application by 84% in Tall Fescue Trial”, 21 August 2026. https://ecorobotix.com/en-us/blog/ara-precision-sprayer-cuts-herbicide-application-by-84-in-tall-fescue-trial/
- Ecorobotix, “Ecorobotix Announces its First Distributor in Brazil”, 16 September 2026. https://ecorobotix.com/blog/ecorobotix-announces-its-first-distributor-in-brazil/
- Wikimedia Commons, “Crop spraying near St Mary Bourne”. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crop_spraying_near_St_Mary_Bourne_-_geograph.org.uk_-_392462.jpg
Images: “Crop spraying near St Mary Bourne”, Brian Robert Marshall, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Illustrative; conventional broadcast spraying, not an ARA machine.
