Agricultural Robots: What Are They and What Are Their Benefits?

Engineers and scientists constantly try to create innovative technology and research new ideas. Their work benefits almost every industry in various ways, depending on the invention’s purpose. Agriculture has seen significant benefits from technological developments, as agricultural processes constantly change and improve. One type of technology that has impacted the agriculture industry in positive ways is agricultural robots, and this directly impacts the food industry. 

Farmers across the globe now use agricultural robots in various ways to improve farming practices. Here is a look at what agricultural robots are, the different ways farmers use them, and how they can change agriculture’s future.

What Are Agricultural Robots?

An agricultural robot is a robotic device that improves agricultural processes. Many different types of agricultural robots exist, each designed for specific agricultural applications. The robots aim to take over many farmers’ labour-intensive, slow, or expensive duties. Using robots potentially makes tasks faster, simpler, and more effective. It can also save on costs such as labour and product waste in the long term. 

Furthermore, agricultural robots may increase production yields, which is vital because of the increasing population. BIS Research highlights the potential for agricultural robots to positively impact all aspects of global farming operations. Agricultural robotics applications exist for farmers who rear livestock and those who grow crops.

Why Is It So Important to Develop Agricultural Robots?

Using robotics for agricultural purposes is not just about farmers wanting fancy gadgets on their farms. There is a very serious need for engineers, scientists, and researchers to develop robots for agriculture. 

Postscapes identifies some reasons why developing these robots is important in the United States and elsewhere globally. Some points they make include:

• Labour and wage costs constitute around 40 per cent of the United States’ nationwide farm expenditure.
• Between 2009 and 2050, experts predict the world population will increase by over a third (approximately 2.3 billion people). To meet demand, people need faster and more effective agricultural processes. 
• In the United States alone, crop reduction has decreased by $3.1 billion annually due to labour shortages. The use of robotics may resolve this situation.

What Are the Applications of Agricultural Robots?

Robotics.org highlights the many applications for which you can use agricultural robots. Some of these include:

• Sorting and packing
• Weed control
• Harvesting and picking
• Phenotyping
• Autonomous seeding and spraying
• Autonomous mowing, pruning, and thinning
• Utility platforms
• Autonomous Tractors and Harvesters

Robotics Business Review describes how autonomous tractors and harvesters are used as an established application for agricultural robotics. Farmers use tractors to tow devices that perform various operations on farms. However, the main issues with traditional tractors are that they require a human operator, and operations cease if they break down.

By using automated machinery, farmers can save on labour costs as there is no need for human intervention. Furthermore, automated machinery can function 24/7, allowing for tight operational windows. Over 300,000 tractors with autonomous functions were sold in 2016. Interestingly, there is a growing trend for follow-the-leader autonomy, where autonomous machinery follows human-driven machinery.

Energid Citrus Picking Systems

Interesting Engineering has highlighted the benefits of a new harvesting system for citrus fruit farmers. The system is fast, effective, and capable of picking a fruit every two to three seconds. It is much faster than manual harvesting. Additionally, the system is relatively affordable to build and purchase, allowing citrus fruit farmers to save on labour costs.

Ecorobotix: Agricultural Robots for Weeding and Spraying

Ecorobotix is a drone that is fully autonomous and lightweight. It uses GPS and a complex camera system to identify and target weeds effectively without spraying crops. This device is solar-powered, which means it can run all day without any fuel costs. It also saves costs on products and labour, making it an affordable alternative to traditional treatments. The Ecorobotix has precise arms that use 90 per cent less herbicide, making it 30 per cent cheaper than traditional methods. These robotic devices could completely replace farm labour for treatment processes.

Naio Technologies: Agricultural Robots for Environmentally Conscientious Farming

Naio Technologies has developed a series of agricultural robots capable of performing various tasks in agriculture while utilising techniques that preserve the local environment. These agricultural robots can carry out weeding, hoeing, and harvesting. The company aims to provide technology to those in the agricultural industry to help them grow more plentiful, healthier, and environmentally sustainable crops.

Agrobot E-Series: Agricultural Robots for Fruit Picking

This robotic device is designed specifically for picking strawberries. It can collect them faster than a human and check each strawberry’s ripeness before harvesting them. Although its use is currently limited to strawberries, this gadget has the potential to adapt to check the ripeness and harvest many other types of fruits in the future. The importance of this particular device lies in the fact that developing robots that can pick soft fruits has been challenging due to the manual skill required for this task. 

Fertilisation and Irrigation

Traditional irrigation and fertilisation methods are often ineffective, resulting in excessive water wastage. However, robot-assisted precision irrigation can significantly reduce water wastage by targeting specific plants that require watering. These ground robots navigate between the crops to deliver water to the base of the plants, thus minimising water loss.

Another advantage of agricultural robots is that they can access areas that are tricky for larger machinery. Additionally, these robots can solve the fertilisation problem for crops that grow too quickly for farmers to irrigate them fast enough. By getting between the rows of crops, robots can add nitrogen fertiliser directly to the base of each plant.

Drones for Crop Monitoring and Data Collection

Farmers who have large crops need to constantly monitor them and gather data. Drone technology is one of the most effective ways to do this. Agribotix is one of the leaders in this industry, providing a low-cost drone that can collect crop data in real-time and over longer periods of time. They can also record videos, take aerial photographs, and measure the crops’ health using infrared sensors. It can significantly improve crop management and help reduce the spread of crop diseases. 

Another example of this type of technology is Precision Hawk, which combines artificial intelligence with LiDar, hyperspectral, and multispectral technology. These drones are a multifunctional resource for farmers. They can support many aspects of data collection and crop management. 

Autonomous Precision Crop Seeding

Agricultural robots can perform an important function, which is crop seeding, as stated by Robotiq on their website. Usually, a broadcaster spreader attached to a tractor scatters the seeds. The tractor moves steadily while the spreader throws out the seeds. However, this method could be more efficient, as there is too much seed wastage. 

On the other hand, autonomous precision seeding technology uses geo-mapping and robotics. It generates a map that shows the characteristics of the soil at different points across the field. A robotic seeding device is attached to a tractor and plants the seeds only in specific locations. It also plants the seeds at precise depths, and this reduces seed waste and increases the chances of a successful crop.

RoBo Plant: An Agricultural Robot for Greenhouse Management

The RoBo Plant is an exceptional robotic device for farmers cultivating crops in greenhouses or protected environments. This robot includes semi-automated and fully automated machinery that can aid farmers in various aspects of greenhouse management. One of its key features is the ability to separate flats of peat seedlings before planting them in optimal patterns, which is more efficient than the current manual process. It can save farmers time and money, making the RoBo Plant an excellent investment for those who want to improve their crop yield.

Robots for Thinning and Pruning

Farmers often need to thin and prune their crops to ensure their plants’ best growth and health. This task can be tedious and time-consuming, ultimately increasing labour costs. Farmers can use robotic gadgets that significantly reduce the time and labour required to address this issue.

For instance, the LettuceBot is an agricultural robot that has won an award for outstanding product innovation in agriculture. It is explicitly designed for lettuce crops and detects the plants as they pass over them using computer vision.

The robot then identifies which plants are healthy and which should be removed. Another example of such technology is the robot developed by Vision Robotics, which uses artificial intelligence to prune vineyards. It does this by analysing images of the plants and using a robotic arm for pruning and thinning.

Milking Dairy Herds

The purpose of many agricultural robots is to assist farmers in managing their crops. However, some robots are also beneficial to livestock. Milking cows can be long and challenging for farmers as it involves several stages. One of the primary challenges is ensuring the milk is safe for human consumption, so farmers must disinfect the cows’ udders before milking. A robot called UR5 has been developed to simplify the milking process by spraying disinfectant on the cows’ udders before milking.

Shepherding and Herding

Robots are increasingly utilised in the livestock industry for shepherding and herding. Currently, there are robots being developed that can play a vital role in sheep and cattle farming. 

Farmers already use drones to help round up sheep in places like Ireland and New Zealand. They are particularly useful in difficult terrain areas, as they save farmers and labourers time and reduce fuel costs. 

In Australia, ranchers use helicopters to herd cattle and sheep over large areas. However, this method is expensive due to the helicopter’s high cost and running expenses. Additionally, safety concerns and weather conditions restrict the use of helicopters. Utilising drones is potentially a safer, more cost-effective, and less time-consuming method for farmers to round up livestock on large ranches.