The Czech company Fravebot is applying knowledge and technology from the automotive industry to automate harvest forecasting and pest detection in horticulture. For the company, 2025 marks the year to introduce its technology to the wider market—through trade shows, field demonstrations, and practical trials. On Thursday, October 2, founders Matěj Sklenář and Vratislav Beneš had the opportunity to present their company and showcase a live demo during the opening of Hortivec.
Hortivec, a demonstration, meeting, and experience center, aims to make new technologies accessible to growers in real-world conditions. Located in Sint-Katelijne-Waver, the facility now welcomes growers to explore innovations such as those developed by Fravebot. The company has also joined the Hortivec network as an official member.
© Thijmen Tiersma | HortiDaily.comMatěj Sklenář shows on the laptop the images gathered by Fravebot's scout robot.
Data collection
Fravebot develops both its hardware and software entirely in-house. This year, a trial was launched with the Fravebot scout robot at the Proefstation voor de Groenteteelt (Research Station for Vegetable Cultivation), in high-wire tomato and cucumber crops. The goal is to compare what the robot detects with what human scouts observe. As Matěj explained, the system produces images much like Google Street View—but from inside the greenhouse. The scout robot collects data for both pest identification and yield prediction.
Operating inside the relatively narrow demo greenhouse in Sint-Katelijne-Waver proved to be a challenge, especially when it came to maneuvering. In a larger commercial setting, however, the robot can cover up to five hectares per day, Matěj shared. The robot drives "row by row," allowing it to turn efficiently between crop rows.
In Sint-Katelijne-Waver, the robot is being used in tomato crops to map tomato russet mite, Tuta absoluta, and powdery mildew. The system is already commercially available for both pest detection and harvest forecasting. In the Netherlands, a separate trial is underway in a sweet pepper crop, focusing on Nezara viridula (the southern green stink bug).
© FravebotHere, Els Berckmoes of the Vegetable Growing Testing Center receives the scout robot from Vratislav Beneš of Fravebot. Martin Juříček (right) was present this spring to assist in commissioning the robot.
Trap Site Scanner
Another, still lesser-known product from Fravebot is FraveEye. The trap site scanner is already active in the Czech Republic, like the Fravebot. The Czech company is now, with the help of consultant Pierre Grootscholten, also working to roll out the product in the Dutch market. While the focus with Fravebot is currently on greenhouse vegetables, the company is also looking at floriculture with FraveEye. "Among others, the system has been installed in gerbera cultivation," Pierre mentioned earlier this year on HortiDaily.
For more information:
Fravebot
[email protected]
www.fravebot.com
