Airboots S30 Floating Agricultural Robot

Shoes AgTech is a Vietnamese agricultural robotics company officially established in 2023, with offices listed in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. It grew out of earlier work on rice-spraying drones and, after field research in the Mekong Delta, developed a robot suited to flooded paddies. Free demonstrations in Mekong Delta provinces began in 2024.

Airboots S30 is a lightweight self-propelled robot that floats over rice fields and handles direct seeding, fertilising and spraying. The operator sets a route in a smartphone app, and the robot follows it using GPS/RTK and obstacle sensors, then returns to its start point. The company also lists an S16S model for shrimp ponds, and offers rental with warranty and training for farmers, cooperatives and local agents.

• Floating chassis: A lightweight body glides over flooded fields without compacting soil.
• Multi-task operation: Direct seeding, fertilising and spraying in one platform.
• Autonomous routes: GPS/RTK positioning and programmable paths with self-return.
• Obstacle sensing: Sensors detect stubble, bund posts and tall rice.
• App and remote control: Smartphone app and remote control up to 2 km, with multiple units at once.
• Foldable frame: Transport by motorbike, pickup truck or boat.

Rice cooperatives in the Mekong Delta could rent robots for direct seeding and spraying. Local machinery distributors could offer the robot as a service to nearby farms. Shrimp and fish farms could use the S16S model for pond feeding and operations.

A floating body avoids compacting soil or crushing young plants, and no drone flight permit is needed. Company claims cite 60-70% cost savings and about 20 times faster work than manual labour. Even distribution is intended to reduce seed, fertiliser and pesticide waste. Farmers avoid wading through fields while handling chemicals. Rental terms include warranty up to 36 months and maintenance.

Mekong Delta rice growers face labour shortages and pressure to cut input use and emissions, which raises demand for mechanised and low-emission field operations. Drones face flight-permit and drift constraints in paddies, so water-surface robots are an emerging alternative.

Founded 2023; offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. Awards listed on the company site include first prize at AiViet Innovation 2024 and first prize at STIC 2025. Grand Prize in the Food Systems track of Net Zero Challenge 2025 per Temasek Foundation. No investors disclosed on the company site.