Small Robot Company Tom — Specs & Review
Specifications
| Brand | Small Robot Company |
|---|---|
| Model | Tom |
| Year | 2019 |
| Category | Agricultural |
| Autonomy | fully-autonomous |
| Environment | outdoor |
| Connectivity | GPS, 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi, Cloud Platform |
| Country of origin | GB |
Key features
- Per-plant autonomous field mapping and monitoring
- Computer vision crop health assessment at plant level
- Integrates with Dick (weeding) and Harry (fertilising)
- Electric autonomous operation
- GPS + computer vision navigation
- Up to 95% input reduction potential vs broadcast application
- Digital per-plant field twin generation
What is it?
The Small Robot Company Tom is the sensing and mapping robot in the Tom-Dick-Harry system — an integrated three-robot precision farming platform for arable crops. Tom surveys fields plant-by-plant, building a digital twin of the crop that Dick and Harry use to apply precise interventions only where needed.
Who is it for?
Arable farmers seeking to reduce input costs (herbicide, fertiliser) through per-plant precision rather than broadcast application. Farms exploring the transition from conventional broad-spray crop management to data-driven precision agronomy. Research institutions and agri-tech early adopters evaluating per-plant farming economics.
Key specs
- Navigation: Autonomous GPS + computer vision row following
- Function: Per-plant crop mapping and monitoring
- Data output: Plant-level field map (health, growth stage, weed presence)
- Power: Electric
- Compatibility: Integrates with Dick (weeding) and Harry (fertilising) robots
- Origin: UK
The per-plant farming concept
Conventional farming applies herbicide, fertiliser, and pesticide across entire fields — treating healthy plants identically to struggling ones, and wasting inputs on bare patches. Small Robot Company's approach maps every plant individually, enabling Dick and Harry to apply interventions only at the precise plant locations that need them, reducing input use by up to 95% versus broadcast application.
How it compares
Tom competes with John Deere's See & Spray (spot-spraying without full per-plant mapping) and drone-based NDVI mapping (less precise, seasonal rather than continuous). Tom's ground-level per-plant resolution exceeds aerial mapping precision for weeding applications.
Limitations
- Commercial scale and availability dependent on Small Robot Company funding trajectory
- Requires full Tom-Dick-Harry ecosystem for complete precision farming workflow
- Per-plant approach most economically justified for high-value crops or high input cost environments
FAQ
What does Tom actually do in the field?
Tom drives autonomously along crop rows, using computer vision to identify every individual plant and map its location, health status, and surrounding weed presence. This per-plant map is the data layer that Dick and Harry use for targeted weeding and fertilisation.
Can Tom be used without Dick and Harry?
Yes — Tom's crop mapping data has standalone value for precision agronomy decisions. However, the full economic case for per-plant farming is realised when Dick and Harry use Tom's maps for targeted interventions, avoiding broadcast herbicide and fertiliser application.
What crops does Tom work with?
Tom is designed primarily for arable crops — wheat, barley, oilseed rape — grown in straight rows suitable for autonomous robot navigation.
Who owns Small Robot Company?
Small Robot Company is a UK agri-tech startup that has raised venture and Innovate UK funding. It operates as an independent company developing its per-plant farming platform for commercial arable farming.