Croptimal demonstrates potato selection robot Croptiscan
During the demonstration of the potato selection robot Croptiscan by startup Croptimal in the Dutch town of Emmeloord, a prototype of the vehicle equipped with 2 RGB cameras recognises diseased potato plants. The attending arable farmers/growers recognise themselves in the imagery.
The Croptiscan potato selection robot from startup Croptimal was first presented at an event one year ago. At the time, it was part of the TNO-led DigiAgro3 project. Until recently, Croptiscan was still operating under the working name Potatopro.
Meanwhile, the technology for automatic potato selection has been shown several times at meetings and events. On the evening of Thursday 19 June, 60 arable farmers in Emmeloord (Fl.) watched how Croptiscan detects diseased potato plants.
80% of diseased leaves successfully identified
During the demonstration, organised by The Potato Company, Doorgrond and Weevers Mechanisatiebedrijf, a prototype of the vehicle equipped with two RGB cameras recognises diseased potato plants of the Fontane variety. “We analyse all leaves in images of 60 by 60 centimetres and currently identify 80% of the diseased leaves successfully. These identified leaves can soon also be marked,” says Jeroen Wolters, precision farming specialist and co-founder of Croptimal/Doorgrond. The arable farmers/growers present at the demonstration recognise themselves in the imagery.
Production model at PotatoEurope 2025
At the PotatoEurope event, from 3 to 4 September in the Dutch town of Lelystad, Croptimal will present the production model of the Croptiscan. This model has 8 rows and is diesel-hydraulic powered, comparable to a standard selection vehicle.
Six arable farmers have joined the Croptiscan project. In 2026, they will also become the first practical users to select diseased leaves in six potato varieties. According to Wolters, the technology is capable of learning to detect potato diseases in other varieties in a short time.
Photo: René Koerhuis
Starting price € 230,000
Croptimal has set a price of € 230,000 for the 8-row Croptiscan selection vehicle for 2026. An additional € 4,000 per year is charged for support and € 8,000 for the software licence(s). Each vehicle can cover up to 100 hectares per season. Narrower versions are also available.
In 2027, the company aims to bring 20 units to market. For now, the field robot is manned, but an autonomous version is also conceivable.
