Present and Future Applications of Robotics and Automations in Agriculture

Abstract

The significance of agriculture lies in its role in ensuring the sustenance of the human population through the production of essential resources such as food, feed, and fiber. Precision agriculture is employed to effectively administer appropriate treatments at the correct location and time in order to attain agricultural output that is characterized by low input, high efficiency, and long-term sustainability. The primary objective of precision agriculture is to enhance agricultural productivity while minimizing adverse environmental impacts. Precision agriculture, an agricultural approach that leverages advanced technologies such as robotics and automation, is predominantly employed to enhance the efficiency and precision of farm management practices. The utilization of mobile robots in agricultural activities, such as harvesting, spraying, inspection, and planting, has been extensively investigated and researched in the past few decades. This study investigates the rapid increase in the utilization of automation and robots in the agricultural sector over the past five years. In this study, we categorize the latest applications into four distinct groups, each representing a specific range of activities conducted during the entire process of planting management, starting from the initial sowing stage and concluding with the final harvest. In the final section of the paper, an analysis of various challenges and suggestions is provided to underscore potential opportunities and enhancements in the advancement of an effective robotic and autonomous system for agricultural purposes.