Solinftec’s Solix robot and ALICE AI platform are being positioned as a practical, in-field autonomy stack for row crop producers. The solar-powered machine lives in the crop, paired with software that turns its data into decisions and, in some cases, fully autonomous actions.
Solix is built as a lightweight, autonomous platform that patrols fields on its own, using cameras and other sensors to monitor crop conditions throughout the season. Instead of relying on occasional scouting passes and spot checks, the robot is designed to generate continuous, field-wide information on weed pressure, crop populations, disease symptoms, insect activity, and crop vigor.
For row crop growers, that means the kind of detail you might get from a good agronomist walking the field, but updated continuously, day and night, across the whole farm rather than a few representative spots. “It’s not just a matter of going there, flying a drone and getting a picture that is just a snapshot on the crop,” says Solinftec’s North American COO Guilherme Guiné. “We want to see a timeline, a video of how this crop is performing over time. That is the value of living in the field.”
A key variant for row crops is the Solix Sprayer, which adds a targeted spray system under the machine. Rather than blanket-spraying an entire field, the robot uses onboard vision and software to identify weeds and spot-spray only where necessary. For producers wrestling with rising input costs and resistance concerns, the intent is to stretch herbicide dollars further while still maintaining clean fields.
Solinftec this year also introduced its commercially available next-generation autonomous Refill Station, designed to enable continuous, 24/7 field operations. When a Solix robot detects it is running low on chemicals, it returns to the nearest docking station and refills itself autonomously. The company will have 60 refill units in commercial fields this season, along with over 300 of its Solix robots.
The machine runs on solar panels and electric drive, eliminating on-board diesel and aiming to reduce fuel costs and soil compaction versus a tractor and pull-type sprayer. Because it is slow-moving and automated, it is meant to operate for long stretches with minimal human attention. The robots are equipped with high-resolution cameras that not only allow for precision spraying, but also capture valuable field-level data.
On the software side, ALICE is the decision engine behind the hardware. It is Solinftec’s agriculture-specific AI platform that pulls together data from Solix, other connected machines, weather, and farm records, then suggests or executes actions rather than simply presenting raw data. Instead of “here is a map with weeds,” the goal is “here is where and when you should spray, and here’s how the robot or your other equipment will handle it.”
“Our dream is that the technology will take care of itself. Solix is like a vacuum robot that you have at home, but for farmers. It lives in the field all season long, taking care of the crop for you,” Guiné told AgFunder in an interview.
Unlike other ag robotics makers, most of which are in the specialty crop space, Solinftec is building its tech specifically for the row crop space. That is a strategic decision meant to set it apart from other robotics companies, which Guiné says are mostly in the specialty crop space. “If we can make our tech affordable for row crop farmers, it’s going to be a market fit for the high-value specialty crop market.”
Guiné says the Solix units cost around $50,000, which he describes as a very low price point compared to other bots. There is also a subscription fee for the use of the software. Guiné says the sweet spot for the bots is around 500 acres, but the ultimate goal is to make the technology commercially feasible for even very small farmers. You can learn more about the Solix ag robots HERE.
