The Tortuga AgTech strawberry and table grape harvesting robot has been crowned the Ag Robot of the Year 2024. The prestigious award was announced by Geert Hekkert, editor in chief of Future Farming, and René Koerhuis, editor specialized in precision agriculture and robotics, during the 8th edition of the World FIRA in Toulouse/Auzeville-Tolosane (France) on Thursday, February 8, 2024.
Out of 12 initial candidates and 5 finalists, the Tortuga AgTech harvesting robot emerged as the winner, chosen by an expert jury comprising Future Farming editors, a university researcher in robotics and precision agriculture, and farmers from around the world. Notably, Anna Haldewang, founder and CEO of the InsightTRAC Rover and winner of the Ag Robot of the Year award in 2023, joined the jury as a prominent new member.
The Tortuga AgTech robot stood out due to its ability to address one of the most pressing challenges faced by agricultural businesses: the shortage of affordable and skilled labor. The jury was impressed by its versatility in harvesting multiple types of fruits with a single robotic harvester. This innovation transforms a vision into reality, showcasing the potential of ag robots and inspiring others to explore the possibilities.
The robot is not only capable of harvesting crops but also collecting data for forecasts, treating plants with UV-C light, and performing trimming. Its practicality lies in its availability on a service contract basis, making it cost equivalent to hiring labor. Beyond labor savings, its true value lies in providing a solution to the industry’s labor crisis. Some farmers have been forced to cease crop production due to the lack of harvest staff.
The Tortuga AgTech robot’s versatility extends beyond harvesting and transporting crops. It also offers treatment with UV light, trims runners, and logs essential data. This comprehensive approach to agricultural tasks aligns with the motivation behind the Ag Robot of the Year award, which aims to recognize field and harvest robots that are praxis ready, farmer-friendly, profitable, and scalable for automating operations in outdoor-grown crops.
As the winner, the Tortuga AgTech harvesting robot will be prominently featured in the promotion of the World FIRA of 2025. Future Farming will also offer a canvas of their rover with the Ag Robot of the Year award logo, and JoJo’s Vineyard, run by jury member Ian Beecher-Jones from the UK, is providing a bottle of their best wine to the winners.
In addition to the expert jury’s choice, the public had the opportunity to vote for their favorite robot between January 23 and February 4. The public favorite of 2024 was announced alongside the expert jury’s winner, and the Digital Workbench Tipard 1800 emerged as the public’s favorite.
The Ag Robot of the Year award aims to assist farmers worldwide in selecting the right type of robot for their farming operations. The winners were announced during the World FIRA event, held in Toulouse/Auzeville-Tolosane (France) on February 8, 2024. Farmers marketing field and harvesting robots for outdoor crops are encouraged to ensure their robots are included in the Future Farming field robot buyers’ guide for eligibility in the Ag Robot of the Year award 2025.