The Ag Robot of the Year 2025 (AROTY) awards sent a resounding message this year. Among the five finalists, with prices spanning from half a million dollars to a mere $12,000, both the jury and the public overwhelmingly favored the most affordable option: the FarmRobo iMog. This modest and economical workhorse not only secured the official title but also garnered the preference of farmers globally.
The outcome of this year’s AROTY awards underscores a critical factor in the adoption of autonomous farming technology: affordability. For many farmers, the investment in an autonomous solution often does not justify current labor costs. In some instances, robots are purchased out of necessity, driven by the scarcity of available workers. The iMog’s victory suggests that a new category of ag robots is possible: compact, simple, and low-cost. This echoes the impact of the ‘Little Grey Fergie’ – the Ferguson T20, which revolutionized farming and became the first real tractor for many farmers. Could the iMog do the same for autonomy?
In India, FarmRobo’s home market, this machine could potentially allow small farmers to transition directly from manual labor to autonomous operations, skipping an entire mechanization generation. The TE20 popularized Harry Ferguson’s invention of the hydraulic three-point hitch system, which became an international standard for tractors of all makes and sizes. This system remains a standard to this day.
The high cost of autonomous farm machinery is a significant barrier to widespread adoption. For instance, a 156-hp AgXeed costs around £300,000, making it a luxury product for most farmers. John Deere offers an autonomy option for its nearly 1,000-hp 9RX tractor, but activating it requires an additional $100,000 investment. This investment ultimately saves just a single worker, and the machine itself weighs 35 tons – a heavy burden on soil health.
Is this the future of autonomy? A technology accessible only to capital-intensive farms, or an innovation that transforms agriculture for all? The iMog proves that another path is possible. Perhaps the future of autonomy lies not in ever-larger and more expensive machines but in compact, scalable, and affordable solutions.
There is enormous pent-up demand for autonomous machines to lower costs, replace scarce labor, increase precision, and protect the environment. However, as long as prices remain unrealistically high, widespread adoption will remain out of reach. What if prices were cut in half? Would that be the turning point?
Autonomous farming is no longer a distant dream. The technology is here, but the business model does not yet work for the average farmer. The winner of AROTY 2025 shows that an affordable future is possible – if the industry is willing to lower the entry barrier. Perhaps that is the real revolution.