Croptimal potato sorting robot expected to hit the market in 2026

Last September, the prototype of the Potatopro, as Croptimal’s potato sorting robot is called, was showcased during an information day at the Weddermarke Innovation Center in the Dutch city of Groningen. – Photo: Croptimal

AI-supported image processing is rapidly advancing. Intelligent systems are becoming increasingly capable of recognising plants. Detecting diseases is the next step. Croptimal is developing a potato sorting robot that can detect viruses. The startup expects to bring the machine to market under the name Potatopro in 2026.

Startup Croptimal was founded with the goal of developing a potato sorting robot. Using camera images, the Potatopro leverages AI to identify viral infections in potatoes at an early stage. Croptimal is a young company, launched by the team behind the relatively new company Doorgrond. Doorgrond specialises in supporting and developing innovations for precision agriculture. Arnout van der Ploeg, an IT and electronics specialist, has also joined as a shareholder.

Jeroen Wolters, one of the precision agriculture experts behind Croptimal, explained that the sorting robot can effectively detect viruses based on colour differences in the leaves. However, like any system relying on image recognition, the camera system requires “training,” which takes time.

First demo this year; market-ready by 2026?

Last September, the prototype of the Potatopro was presented during an information day at the Weddermarke Innovation Center in the Dutch city of Groningen. According to Wolters, Croptimal plans to demonstrate the Potatopro sorting robot later this year at the Seed Potato Academy in Groningen. The goal is to introduce the robot to the public at the Agritechnica trade fair in November in Hanover, Germany. While developing a fully functional sorting robot is time-intensive, Wolters is optimistic about the pace of progress. It is not unlikely that the first units could be operational in practice by 2026.

The Potatopro has a working width of 6 meters. This means that, with a theoretical driving speed of up to 8 km/h, it can sort 8 rows of potatoes simultaneously. The robot records the locations of virus-infected plants using GPS coordinates. Marking these plants with a dye is a practical way to easily identify and remove infected plants after the sorting process.

In addition to replacing many labour hours, the robot can detect a viral infection earlier than the human eye. This helps to prevent the spread of infection and improve the quality of seed potatoes. Moreover, by recording data with GPS coordinates, additional valuable insights may be gained.

Not autonomous yet

For the time being, Croptimal is not focusing on developing an autonomous vehicle. However, it remains a potential option for the future. To enable the system to work independently of daylight and even in darkness, the precision agriculture team is designing a solution that operates under a protective cover, ensuring a consistent environment.

The price of the Potatopro has not yet been determined. For now, significant time is still needed to train the software using images of disease symptoms before the sorting robot is ready for practical use.