How Innovative Robotics Trends Can Revolutionize Agriculture

Agriculture is undergoing a technological revolution, as primary producers increasingly rely on robotics to address various issues.

FREMONT, CA: Agricultural robots can be utilized for a plethora of jobs to alleviate farmer burdens. Their primary function is to complete time-consuming, repetitive, and physically challenging jobs. However, in recent years, robots have been deployed to do various specialized tasks previously reserved for expert farmers. This includes the capacity to distinguish delicate fruits and vegetables such as lettuce and strawberries from others.

Below are the latest trends in robotization demonstrating, innovative technologies and task automation can assist overcome some of the farming obstacles.

Robots for harvesting and picking

Harvesting and picking robots are especially advantageous for high-value crops, such as wine grapes, where harvesting has historically been difficult and time-consuming. Nanotechnology, materials science and mechatronics advancements enable picking robots to identify and assess fruits for ripeness and grip and detach them without causing damage.

According to Future Farming, harvest robots and even harvest drones may be used soon to harvest broccoli, citrus fruits, cauliflower, kiwi fruit, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, mangos, and watermelon. Certain field robots can even do tasks previously performed by tractors, such as soil cultivation, seeding, crop care, and mowing.

Robots for weeding

High-value crops like some varieties of lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, oranges and other citrus fruits, and winery grapes appear to offer the most compelling commercial reasons for weeding robots. These robots are particularly beneficial in areas with steep terrain that poses a threat to workers and equipment. Weeding robots can also deliver targeted doses of herbicides to weeds but not to crops, significantly reducing herbicide use.

Robots for milking

Dairy farmers are shifting from manual to automated milking systems to meet the rapid growth in global milk demand and labor shortages. Market share is expected to transition in the following years from standalone units to multiple stall units and eventually to advanced rotary units. Automated feeding and barn cleaning technologies also contribute to the industry's efficiency gains.

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