Daedong Robotics Lays Groundwork for Commercializing Agricultural Field Robots in the United States and Europe
Daedong Robotics Lays Groundwork for Commercializing Agricultural Field Robots in the United States and Europe
-. Signs MOUs with leading berry producers and a U.S. wine distributor to advance on-site validation of field robots
-. Carrier robots earn strong evaluations at a Spanish berry farm, signaling market potential
-. Company accelerates development of an integrated multi-purpose field robot for carrying, weeding, and spraying
Daedong Robotics (CEO Yuh Jun-goo) is taking its agricultural field robots a step closer to global deployment.
The company announced on November 13 that it signed Memoranda of Understanding on November 10 and 11 with Artisan Vino LLC, a U.S. wine distributor, and Hortifrut España Southern Sun S.L.U., the Spanish subsidiary of global berry producer Hortifrut. The agreements establish collaboration on technology enhancement and market entry in key agricultural regions.
Through the two partnerships, Daedong Robotics has secured real-world testing sites in both the United States and Europe, which are among the largest agricultural markets in the world. These sites will allow the company to refine its field robot technologies to match local crops, farming practices, and operating environments. With Artisan Vino, the company will focus on developing vineyard automation technologies based on the needs of U.S. grape growers. With Hortifrut, testing will center on evaluating the weed-control functions of Daedong Robotics carrier robots in large-scale berry farms.
In July, before the MOUs were finalized, Daedong Robotics conducted a proof-of-concept trial at a Hortifrut berry farm in Huelva, Spain. The autonomous carrier robot delivered strong results in real operating conditions, showing reliable precision, stable movement, and a high degree of automation. Competing overseas robots were unable to perform to the same standard in similar environments, while Daedong Robotics demonstrated consistent and efficient operation. The success of this trial played a decisive role in moving both partnerships forward.
Huelva is one of Spain’s leading agricultural regions and is home to a wide range of crops. While conducting the trial, Daedong Robotics found that interest in robotic automation extended beyond Hortifrut, with several nearby farms expressing a keen desire to adopt such technologies. This allowed the company to gauge the broader applicability and market potential of its carrier robots in Europe, as well as identify future opportunities for AI-driven robotics in tasks such as pruning, trimming, tilling, and harvesting.
Daedong Robotics has been steadily upgrading the carrier robot it introduced in Korea earlier this year. A model with autonomous driving capabilities was released in July, followed in August by a version equipped with AI-based natural language voice recognition and control. Building on its strong mobility platform expertise, the company is now developing a multi-purpose, “three-in-one” field robot that brings carrying, weeding, and spraying together in one system. The weeding module is scheduled for release in the first half of next year. With field data obtained through its new international partnerships, the company plans to accelerate development of solutions that reflect real customer needs.
Hortifrut, founded in 1983, is the world’s largest producer and distributor of berries and operates more than 5,000 hectares of farmland worldwide. The company recorded approximately USD 1.1649 billion in revenue in 2024. Artisan Vino, established in 2017 in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, is a boutique wine distributor that curates premium wines in close collaboration with local wineries and grape growers. The company draws on the founder’s direct experience in vineyard management and cultivation.