Solinftec has shared an update on the successful inaugural commercial season of its groundbreaking Solix Sprayer Robot. For the 2024 growing season there were 50 robots in commercial use on farms in Indiana and Illinois monitoring more than 65 million plants. The use of Solix resulted in a reduction of up to 98% in herbicide volume and up to 10% more potential yields of crops including wheat, corn, popcorn seed and soybeans. 

Made commercially available to farmers, cooperatives and ag retailers earlier this year, the Solix Sprayer Robot has not only streamlined agricultural operations in the U.S., but has also demonstrated significant advancements in agriculture, providing farmers with efficient, more sustainable, data-driven solutions. The Solix Robots detect and spray weeds, providing autonomous and sustainable target spray applications on grower’s fields to help producers reduce their chemical inputs and deliver a lower cost carbon footprint and environmental impact. Solix is powered by four solar panels that control the drive system and the spray system while providing reports on crop populations, weed identification and densities, disease identification and thresholds, insect identification and thresholds, nutrient deficiency identification and densities and much more useful data to the grower virtually 24/7.

Solix is tackling three pillars and challenges faced by its customers: chemical reduction, labor and sustainability. By significantly reducing chemical usage, Solix not only brings a return on investment (ROI) to the company but also supports farmers in their efforts to optimize input costs. Throughout the 2024 growing season, Solix Sprayer Robots applied 15,089 gallons of product. This resulted in significant water and herbicide savings, with 72,000 gallons of water being conserved. For corn, popcorn and soybeans, herbicides have been optimized alongside non-GMO crops. A leading innovator and pioneer in the Ag Robotics space, Solinftec’s Solix promotes sustainability by enabling farmers to produce more within the same area, effectively allowing them to achieve greater yields with fewer resources. Solix Sprayer Robots resulted in up to 10% more biomass and potential yields.

The autonomy of Solix Sprayer Robots also addresses the labor challenges that many customers encounter in the market, providing an efficient solution that reduces reliance on manual labor. 

Looking ahead to 2025, Solinftec will be expanding its Solix platform into additional states in the U.S. heartland.

“The Solix Sprayer Robot offers farmers increased efficiency, precision application, data-driven insights, and eco-friendly farming practices,” shared Taylor Wetli, U.S. Commercial & Business Development Manager, Solinftec. “Our first season of the Solix Sprayer Robot has achieved expectations and has been met with positive feedback, reinforcing our commitment to transforming agriculture through technology.”

The company continues to develop and innovate its Solix technology. In August, Solinftec announced its newest development in the field of agricultural robotics: the Solix docking station. Announced at the Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, the launch of this new development will allow Solix Ag Robotics to operate 100% autonomously throughout the season, without the need for a manual refill and allowing Solix to expand its capabilities in the future.