Precision and Sustainability in Each Drop: Inside Purida’s AI-Powered Orchard Robotic

Farmers face a tricky mixture of challenges: there aren’t all the time sufficient employees to have a tendency huge orchards, and people who spray pesticides threat harming their very own well being by inhaling poisonous chemical substances. On the identical time, overusing sprays pollutes soil and water, threatening each the surroundings and the long-term well being of crops and folks. 

Enter Purida, a next-generation orchard spraying robotic constructed to chop chemical use and defend each folks and the planet. Mounted on an all-electric, light-weight body, Purida drives itself by rows of fruit timber and applies pesticides solely the place they’re wanted. It could possibly cowl extra floor in much less time, then mechanically return to its base when the job is finished 

At its core, Purida makes use of AI-based autonomous driving, electrostatic nozzles, and a wise blower system. GPS, LiDAR, and imaginative and prescient sensors work collectively so the robotic navigates tough terrain and avoids obstacles. 

Its electrostatic nozzles cost spray droplets in order that they cling evenly to either side of leaves, slicing pesticide use by as much as 40 %. A separate blower at every nozzle lets Purida regulate airflow for various crops—whether or not apples, pears, or grapes—making certain exact protection with out waste. It is a game-changer.

Historically, orchard managers relied on guide or tractor-towed sprayers. Employees with backpack sprayers spray by hand, which is sluggish, uneven, and exposes them to chemical substances. Bigger tractors pull growth sprayers, however they nonetheless drench complete canopies and lose 65 %–70 % of spray to float and runoff. Many growers additionally observe inflexible spray calendars, making use of chemical substances whether or not illness threat is excessive or not, resulting in pointless environmental hurt.

Purida makes use of AI to stay steady on tough orchard flooring. An AI consistently watches the way it strikes and reacts earlier than bother begins. Tiny gyroscopes and accelerometers feed a neural‐community mannequin operating on the robotic’s onboard pc with actual‐time information about tilt, pace, and path. 

That AI has been skilled on 1000’s of examples of protected and unsafe slopes, so if it spots patterns that often result in tipping, it immediately slows or stops the robotic. All of this occurs within the blink of a watch, conserving Purida from leaning too far and risking a rollover even when the bottom is uneven. Purida has been optimized to keep away from floor root injury.

Behind the scenes, Purida additionally builds a dwell map of the orchard utilizing GPS, LiDAR, and cameras. This “floor‐adaptive” navigation layer updates constantly, marking spots the place the soil dips or banks too sharply and steering the robotic round them. By weaving collectively quick sensor suggestions, predictive AI, and adaptive path planning, Hada makes positive Purida can spray each row shortly and exactly, with out ever shedding its stability.

HADA has already moved Purida out of the lab and into actual orchards. Since early 2025, the corporate has provided Purida items to industrial farms by Korea’s government-backed New Expertise Distribution Mission, operating pilot trials on apple and grape orchards. 

Early suggestions from these on-farm pilots has been overwhelmingly constructive. Growers report that Purida’s autonomous path planning and remote-monitoring app allow them to deal with spraying with a fraction of the crew they as soon as wanted. 

In addition they reward the electrostatic nozzles for delivering extra even protection with noticeably much less drift, and so they’ve been impressed by the robotic’s rock-steady stability on uneven terrain, particularly when in comparison with tractor-towed booms. For a lot of, essentially the most vital reduction has been understanding they now not have to face shoulder-to-shoulder with a dwell sprayer, inhaling high-quality mist each time they deal with their timber 

(From left) Hubert Nguyen, CTO of Ubergizmo, and Ha Jong-woo, CEO of Hada, taking a commemorative photograph. │Photographed by – AVING Information

Purida is constructed by Hada Co., Ltd., a Korean agency that has specialised in field-crop equipment since 2012. From their begin constructing garlic planters, they’ve grown into an built-in options supplier combining in-house {hardware}, software program, and AI experience. Right now, they’re the one Korean firm with one of these industrial orchard spraying robotic—and so they’re transferring quick to broaden globally, with plans to point out off their subsequent mannequin at CES 2026.

Filed in Robots. Learn extra about Agritech and Korea.