Pollination robot gets to work in greenhouse with closed screens

Publication date: Mon 13 October 2025 By Horti Daily Original Article

Tomato plants in a greenhouse in Bleiswijk are currently being pollinated by a robot. The robot, called Polly+, is developed by Arugga AI Farming and has been on trial at the Delphy Improvement Centre for about three weeks. Polly+ pollinates the tomato flowers using advanced vision technology combined with gentle air pulses.

This research, carried out under the Kas als Energiebron (Greenhouse as an Energy Source) program, compares three growing conditions. The first is a reference greenhouse where pollination is done by bumblebees. The second uses the robotic pollinator, with some flowers also pollinated by hand to directly compare the results. The third is an energy-saving setup, where the greenhouse screens remain closed during the day—something that would normally not be possible when using bumblebees, since they need light and space to fly.

By keeping the screens closed, researchers expect to reduce energy use while maintaining good fruit set and production levels with help from the robotic pollinator. The team at the Delphy Improvement Centre is eager to see how well the robot performs compared to traditional bumblebee pollination and has even shared a video showing Polly+ in action.

Arugga is also developing a robot that can lower plants. Lans has already gained experience with this. The Polly+ pollination robot is also already being used commercially, for instance, at Thanet Earth.

Publication date: Mon 13 Oct 2025

Polly+ at Bleiswijk Grenhouse, The Netherlands