Robotics & Automation News

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smart farming

Eternal.ag scales fully-autonomous harvesting robots with first customer Van Noord Growers

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The German agritech startup eternal.ag has deployed its fully-autonomous greenhouse harvesting robot, Harvester, to the Dutch grower, Van Noord Growers, as part of a long-term agreement.

Van Noord Growers, located in Zeeland in the Netherlands, produces both tomatoes and cucumbers across a total 8.5-hectare site. It has been operating the Harvester robot, specialized in truss tomatoes, since September 2025 and is now set to expand its fleet to a total of three this summer following a successful initial period.

With eternal.ag’s plug and play approach, the Harvester has been integrated into Van Noord’s operations from day one. The fully-autonomous Harvester is designed to operate for up to 22 hours per day, 7 days a week, and harvests trusses using an AI layer to ensure ripeness, consistency and clean cutting. [Read more…] about Eternal.ag scales fully-autonomous harvesting robots with first customer Van Noord Growers

Yamaha expands autonomous farming platform with new weed-control system for orchards and vineyards

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Yamaha Agriculture is expanding the capabilities of its Prospr autonomous farming platform with a new herbicide attachment designed to automate weed control in orchards and vineyards.

Developed with Croplands Equipment, the system adds precision herbicide application to Prospr’s growing list of autonomous field operations, helping specialty crop growers reduce labor requirements, improve spraying consistency, and increase operational efficiency.

Designed to integrate seamlessly with Prospr, the new attachment extends automation across a wider range of orchard and vineyard tasks and will be showcased at Hort Connections 2026 in South Australia next week.

Yamaha Agriculture president and CEO Nolan Paul said specialty crop growers are looking for practical, scalable automation technologies that can help them be more sustainable, efficient and profitable today, while also preparing for the future. [Read more…] about Yamaha expands autonomous farming platform with new weed-control system for orchards and vineyards

Misumi partners with Oishii to advance robotic vertical farming systems

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Japanese industrial supplier Misumi Group has announced a strategic partnership with US-based vertical farming company Oishii Farm Corporation, in a move aimed at accelerating the use of robotics and automation in indoor agriculture.

The deal centers on supporting Oishii’s highly automated vertical farms, where crops such as strawberries are grown indoors using AI-controlled environments and robotic harvesting systems.

The partnership reflects growing interest in using automation to address labor shortages and improve food production efficiency. [Read more…] about Misumi partners with Oishii to advance robotic vertical farming systems

German startup eternal.ag launches fully autonomous harvesting robot to tackle greenhouse labor shortage

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Eternal.ag, a German agritech startup, has launched its first commercial product, Harvester. Harvester is a fully autonomous harvesting robot designed for tomato greenhouses and offers a solution to widespread industry labor shortages.

Greenhouses are increasingly essential for securing the year-round supply of fresh fruit and vegetables, being far more resilient to seasonal weather, climate change, land shortages and pests than outdoor farming.

However, greenhouse labor availability is falling rapidly – in Europe, by as much as 30 percent since 2010 – and forecasts say this trend will continue, leaving growers with structural staffing shortages. [Read more…] about German startup eternal.ag launches fully autonomous harvesting robot to tackle greenhouse labor shortage

NitroScope project launches in Ghent to map and manage Europe’s farm nitrogen flows

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Nitrogen is a cornerstone of agricultural productivity, yet its excessive use continues to harm soil health, water quality, and climate. To address this challenge, the NitroScope project officially kicked off with a two-day meeting at Ghent University.

The project aims to advance the quantification, management, and conservation of nitrogen fluxes across Europe, helping farmers and policymakers adopt more sustainable practices.

Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 is a central goal of the European Green Deal. However, soil-derived gaseous nitrogen emissions from agriculture are often overlooked due to challenges in monitoring. [Read more…] about NitroScope project launches in Ghent to map and manage Europe’s farm nitrogen flows

HORSCH uses TTControl’s computing platform to develop AI functionality in its spot spraying solution

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AGRITECHNICA 2025 spotlights innovative technologies for agriculture. At the trade fair, HORSCH will present a groundbreaking application in precision farming.

The new spot spraying solution uses the AI functionality of TTControl’s FusionAI computing platform. HORSCH’s first pilot projects with FusionAI are being deployed successfully since early 2025.

Precision farming uses data collected via sensors, GPS, or drones as a basis for cultivating fields more resource-efficiently with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). [Read more…] about HORSCH uses TTControl’s computing platform to develop AI functionality in its spot spraying solution

GreenBot unveils autonomous system for weeding woody crop areas

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The GreenBot project has taken a key step towards sustainable agriculture with the field deployment of a high-precision autonomous vehicle designed for the smart and localized control of weeds in woody crops such as almond, citrus, and olive trees.

This breakthrough, made possible thanks to a public-private partnership, integrates artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and machine vision to optimize the use of plant protection products, reduce costs, and mitigate the environmental impact of intensive farming. [Read more…] about GreenBot unveils autonomous system for weeding woody crop areas

Exclusive interview: John Deere deepens its automation strategy

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John Deere has been a consistent force in the agricultural automation space, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with connected machines, autonomous tractors, and AI-powered harvesters.

As Robotics and Automation News has recently reported, the company is evolving on multiple fronts – from launching a new generation of combine harvesters with advanced automation features, to unveiling long-term autonomy plans in exclusive interviews with leaders such as Jesse Haecker.

In a follow-up to our recent feature John Deere: Harvesting the future – automation, autonomy, and the investor landscape and our technical deep-dive Deere unveils new combine harvester with expanded advanced automation, we now speak with Mike Moeller, senior group product manager for connectivity, planning and guidance at John Deere. [Read more…] about Exclusive interview: John Deere deepens its automation strategy