More than 100 Solinftec Solix robots covered 55,427 acres (22,431 hectares) across 13 US states and Puerto Rico through July 2026, cutting chemical use by an average of 85% in what the company calls its largest US commercial season to date.

The fleet's coverage is 15 times the acreage managed three years ago. Solinftec will present the latest developments of the Solix autonomous platform at the Farm Progress Show, September 1–3 in Boone, Iowa.

Across the growing fleet, chemical-use reductions ranged from 83% to 89%. The robots scouted and monitored more than 95 million individual plants, according to Solinftec. Solix uses cameras and the company's ALICE artificial intelligence platform to identify crops and weeds and carry out targeted applications — the mechanism behind those reduction figures.

Autonomous refills went commercial

The most significant operational change in 2026 is the first full commercial season of Solinftec's autonomous Refill Station. A Solix robot docks at the station, refills its tank and returns to the field without an operator travelling to the machine.

Through July, the robots completed more than 1,700 autonomous refills, transferring more than 45,000 US gallons (170,000 litres) of product. One station refilled its robot more than 120 times during the season. For growers weighing robotics against labour availability, that throughput shows the system can now run at scale without daily operator visits.

Solinftec has also raised the travel speed of its solar-powered robot from 1 to 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2 km/h) through updated motors and software — a doubling that directly increases the acreage a single machine can cover per day.

Four models, 50 to 1,200 gallons

Solinftec is expanding Solix into a four-model platform with different power sources and tank capacities. The solar-electric Solix X1 will be joined by the battery-electric XT, the gas/diesel-powered XR and the hybrid-electric XC. Tank capacities will range from 50 to 1,200 US gallons (189 to 4,542 litres).

Depending on the model, the robots will support targeted spraying or a combination of targeted and broadcast applications. All four will run on the ALICE AI platform. The range matters for field decisions: growers with large-scale broadcast needs get a diesel option with a tank more than 20 times larger than the base unit, while the solar X1 remains the low-input choice for spot work.

The diesel/gas-powered Solix XR gets its preview at the Farm Progress Show and is expected to become commercially available for the 2027 season. Solinftec plans to deploy approximately 200 robots and another 80 autonomous Refill Stations in 2027 — effectively doubling the robot fleet and refuelling infrastructure in a single year.

$55,000 price, 2.5-year payback claim

The current Solix robot is priced at approximately $55,000 (€47,000). Solinftec claims growers can recover the investment in around 2.5 years through input savings alone. That figure is the manufacturer's calculation and excludes potential savings in labour, fuel or machinery use — so independent field data will be worth watching as the fleet grows.

Service is also changing. Solinftec will launch an Amazon store for selected Solix replacement parts, allowing growers to carry out more routine repairs themselves with remote support from the manufacturer. For a machine meant to run unattended through the season, faster access to parts could prove as important as the hardware itself.

Growers evaluating the platform should watch the XR's Farm Progress Show preview, the 2027 deployment targets and whether the 83–89% chemical reduction range holds as the fleet doubles.