Naïo accelerates the democratization of agricultural robotics with the new SANKA tool carrier

SANKA: the autonomous carrier that leverages your existing tools

Making robotics a practical response to farmers' daily challenges: this lies at the heart of Naïo’s mission. In response to labor shortages and increasingly narrow weather windows, the manufacturer delivers a pragmatic solution.

SANKA is a 2.2-ton, 100% electric, tracked autonomous robot.

Designed to automate repetitive and demanding tasks (mechanical weeding, tillage, etc.), it delivers on a clear promise: bringing the benefits of robotics while maximizing the value of existing farm equipment. Thanks to its standard 3-point hitch, PTO, and hydraulic block, it works directly with the implements already present on the farm, eliminating the need to invest in dedicated machinery.

Sanka: Keep your tools - Change the way you use them (Credit - Naïo)

Threefold accessibility: financial, operational and energy

SANKA breaks down the traditional barriers to robotics adoption through comprehensive accessibility:

• Financial accessibility: by eliminating heavy investments in specialized tools, the upfront investment is drastically reduced.
• Energy transition: its 100% electric architecture is built for the demanding pace of farm operations. It provides a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels with controlled energy costs—under €1.30 per hectare.
• Ease of use: farmers can get started immediately using their familiar implements, with settings they already know inside out. This simplicity is further reinforced by an intuitive interface and on-site support from Naïo experts, ensuring seamless integration on the farm.

Continuous power, precision and safety: Naïo’s long-standing expertise

With a 1-ton implements capacity and the ability to handle slopes up to 30%, SANKA combines compactness with power. Its tracked base, developed specifically over several years, allows it to adapt to any terrain.

It relies on navigation software developed by Naïo for more than 15 years and RTK-GPS guidance to operate fully autonomously at speeds up to 6 km/h throughout a full workday.

Its advanced safety system, featuring monitoring and human-detection cameras, ensures operator-free work in the field, day and night, regardless of the attached implements.

Versatility across multiple agricultural sectors

Adaptable to diverse cropping systems and perennial crops, SANKA meets the needs of numerous markets. The robot operates with precision in multiple environments—from wide-row vineyards and orchards to soft fruit, nurseries, and agrivoltaic installations—opening up robotics to a wide range of field setups.

A Michelin tracked base and innovative traction

To accommodate a wide range of implements, Naïo’s teams developed a patented dynamic weight balancing mechanism. This ensures easy handling and simplified turning maneuvers, regardless of the attached tools.

This technology is paired with an innovative track solution, custom-developed with Michelin as part of an R&D partnership initiated in 2024, to optimize both traction capacity and stability. To design this patented technology, Michelin drew on both its expertise in cutting-edge agricultural track systems and its snowmobile solutions, renowned for being lightweight and energy-efficient.

In practical terms, this collaboration provides farmers with maximum traction and stability on rough or sloped terrain, preserved all-day battery life through low-power consumption, and significantly reduced soil compaction thanks to optimal weight distribution.

Availability

Already field-tested over four farming seasons to ensure reliability and meet growers' needs, the SANKA robot is now entering pre-series production. First deliveries are scheduled for the second half of 2027.

SANKA is showcased exclusively at the Naïo booth at EIMA: Hall 32, Stand A16.

“Naïo is entering a new phase in its industrial and international development. SANKA is proof that we listen to the field to deliver solutions that genuinely make farmers' daily lives easier.” - Géraldine Hirschy, SANKA Project Manager at Naïo

“SANKA embodies our vision of common-sense robotics: not to replace farmers' expertise and existing machinery, but to empower them.” - Antoine Monville, CEO of Naïo

This project was funded by the French State under the France 2030 investment plan. 

About Naïo :

Founded in 2011 in Escalquens (France), Naïo designs and manufactures 100% electric, autonomous robots dedicated to supporting the agroecological transition. Renowned for their reliability and performance, its solutions reduce the use of inputs, alleviate physically demanding tasks, and improve farm profitability. With its Oz robot - an assistant for diversified, small-scale farms - and its Ted vineyard straddle robot, Naïo has deployed over 350 machines across five continents, establishing itself as a key player in the agriculture of today and tomorrow.

Media contacts : communication@naio-technologies.com