Biovelddag 2025: How Lasers, Boiling Water & Electric Pulses Are Reinventing Field Weeding

On 3 July, the annual Biovelddag demo day near Lelystad (Netherlands) gathered farmers and tech companies to showcase the latest weeding robots. This year’s spotlight shifted from classic mechanical inter-row hoes to contact-free methods: targeted jets of boiling water, pinpoint lasers and electric shocks. More than twenty machines demonstrated how to wipe out weeds without disturbing the soil or resorting to herbicides.

100°C Hot-Water Weeding: TiefGrün

German start-up TiefGrün premiered a system that “cooks” weeds with near-boiling water. Nozzles spray 100 °C water under pressure precisely onto each weed, while a cooling jet protects the crop plant from scalding. Working speed is 2 km/h; indicative price about €125 000.

The Laser Wave: Four Robot Platforms

Tor Laser Weeder by Trabotyx with Fieldworkers modules – a classic autonomous “laser-weeder”.

Earth Rover (imported by Kramer, NL) whose batteries recharge from onboard solar panels. The laser kills weeds as small as 1 mm in carrots, onions and cabbages; throughput up to 60 weeds/s; price €175–200k.

LaserWeeder G2 (Carbon Robotics, USA) – a modular gantry with working widths from 2 to 18. m.

Escarda Duo paired with an AgXeed autonomous tractor: algorithms already detect 3 mm weeds in sugar beet and onion; spinach, asparagus and rocket are next. A 1.5 m base unit costs ~€100 000.

“Pull-and-Profit”: Odd.Bot Maverick

The Maverick robot by Odd.Bot takes another route, mechanically pulling weeds on beds 1.5–2.25 m wide. Two robotic “hands” remove two weeds per second, clearing a hectare in 16 hours. Starting price €100 000.

Electric Hoes & Smart Sensors

E-Vario Weeder (Lauwen Agro Engineering) – a lightweight electric hoe with cameras and tablet control right from the tractor cab.

ARW-606 Robot Weeder (Andela Techniek & Innovatie) – a 4.5 m, six-section machine that “fries” weeds with electric pulses. Price €500 000; 6 m and 12 m versions cost €600 000 and €800 000 respectively.

AEW-180 Electro Weeder – a 9 m mounted inter-row system: base price €75 000 plus interchangeable tools €10–25 k.

Solar Autonomy & Micro DIY Solutions

HAR-e (Fieldworkers) – a solar-powered tine harrow–cultivator that runs 24/7 at 0.5–5 km/h. Width 1.5–4.5 m, weight 1.5 t, price €75 000.

De Blije Tuinder introduced a compact electric hoe for vegetable growers: base config €17 000, with extras and solar panel ≈ €20 000.

Seeder-Mulcher & Other Prototypes

German firm MulchTec unveiled two novelties: Planter, which transplants seedlings while laying mulch, and RotoSeeder, burying cover crops beneath a layer of shredded residue. Farmer Frans Kökghoven also merged a Moreni rotary hoe with a mulching shredder, ready for autonomous use.

Why This Matters for Ukrainian Farms

Moving to herbicide-free weeding is crucial for niche crops and organic producers: lasers leave soil structure intact, electric hoes save fuel, and hot water eliminates chemicals even in narrow rows. Despite high robot prices, the investment pays where manual labour is priciest – for instance, onions or carrots.

If you already use imported equipment and are looking for a place to quickly buy or manufacture non-standard spare parts for agricultural machinery, Bas-Agro LLC will come in handy. The company not only stocks spare parts for harvesters, seeders, and sprayers, but also accepts individual orders — from single parts to small-batch production. Details are available on the website bas.ua.

Biovelddag 2025 proved that robotic weeding is moving from trial plots to real-world fields. Ukrainian growers should watch laser and electric solutions closely – switching to “green” weed control today can secure a competitive edge tomorrow.