What robot should become the Ag Robot of the Year 2024?

The development of field robots is advancing rapidly, with hundreds already sold and tested in farming practices. According to data collected annually by Future Farming from manufacturers and suppliers, there are currently 2,443 field and harvest robots operating on farms across the world.

The Future Farming Robot Buying Guide 2024 now lists over 60 agricultural robots for outdoor crop production that farmers can acquire or lease. For the year 2024, more than a dozen new robots have been added to the buying guide. These include multifunctional field robots, robots capable of harvesting crops, and highly specialised robots designed for single tasks, such as weed control as well as harvest robots.

The Ag Robot of the Year from a farmer’s perspective

The vast and diverse range of especially field robots doesn’t make it any easier for farmers to choose the right type of robot for their farming operation. Moreover, robot manufacturers don’t always fully comprehend the challenging conditions under which their outdoor field robots must operate. Let alone the tasks and operations that farmers grapple with and would like to see automated. These are the primary reasons Future Farming and FIRA to organise the Ag Robot of the Year competition every year: to provide farmers with guidance when considering the purchase of a robot.

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Which robots are eligible?

The more than a dozen newcomers in the Future Farming Field Robot Buying Guide for 2024 are certainly eligible for the Ag Robot of the Year 2024 award. However, manufacturers or suppliers can still submit their robot to the Future Farming editorial team until 12 January 2024. Important criteria include that your field or harvest robot must be available for purchase or lease in 2024 in one or multiple regions or countries. This should be accompanied by an indication of the purchase or rental price. Only so-called field robots that make outdoor crop cultivation more efficient and sustainable are eligible; robots for use in greenhouses and livestock barns are not.

How does the Ag Robot election work?

An international jury will select the winner from all the robots listed in the Future Farming buying guide and new to the market in 2024. The jury consists of robot experts from Future Farming, Wageningen University & Research and the global robot organisation GOFAR. However, the most crucial votes come from farmers on the jury, representing different regions of the world including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Europe and the United States. The winner will be announced during World FIRA, at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, 8 February in Toulouse, France.

The 2023 Ag Robot of the Year winner on the Jury

One prominent new jury member is Anna Haldewang, the creator or inventor behind the 2023 Ag Robot Of The Year winning robot, the InsightTRAC Rover. This robot literally removes Navel Orangeworm-infested nuts, known as mummies, from almond orchards. She, along with the other jury members, will pay particular attention to practical applicability and the added value for agricultural entrepreneurs who wish to recoup their investment.