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The market penetration of highly automated agricultural vehicles in crop farming and arable environments is still very low. However, the unsettled issues and market barriers stem from three main topics. The first is the technical development and appropriate framework conditions for hardware and software required for autonomous field vehicles. The second is the regulatory framework needed to facilitate investment by manufacturers and users. Finally, the third topic is the willingness of the user to accept the non-deterministic systems that are common in agricultural practices today. Autonomous Field Robotics is a joint report between SAE International and the German Institute for Standardizat...
Agriculture has witnessed transformative innovation and technology adoption over the past 100 years including tractors, combine harvesters, and auto-steering techniques. These mechanized or automated machines relieved a huge population around the world from hard labor in challenging farming environments while also increasing food production. This transformation in farming, however, has not fully penetrated to a large segment of agriculture, what is often called specialty crops that include fruit, vegetables, flowers, and nursery crops. Tree fruit crops, for example, still are farmed using a high volume of human labor for orchard operations such as harvesting, pruning, and thinning. To address these challenges, researchers and private companies around the world have recently been putting focused efforts on developing robotic machines for different kinds of fruit orchard operations. In this chapter, the latest advancement in various component technologies (e.g. machine vision and manipulators) and integrated systems developed for robotic orchard operations is discussed.
This chapter presents a survey of the advances in using machine learning (ML) algorithms for agricultural robotics. The development of ML algorithms in the last decade has been astounding, and there has therefore been a rapid increase in the widespread deployment of ML algorithms in many domains, such as agricultural robotics. However, there are also major challenges to be overcome in ML for agri-robotics, due to the unavoidable complexity and variability of the operating environments and the difficulties in accessing the required quantities of relevant training data. This chapter presents an overview of the usage of ML for agri-robotics and discusses the use of ML for data analysis and decision-making for perception and navigation. It outlines the main trends of the last decade in employed algorithms and available data. We then discuss the challenges the field is facing and ways to overcome these challenges.
The robotization of agricultural tasks is booming globally, made possible thanks to the development of robotic platforms equipped with agricultural tools. These technological tools (sensors, effectors, etc.) can cause faults which compromise productivity. This chapter presents a review of state of the art of fault diagnosis methods followed by presentation of a Robot Fault Diagnosis Supervision System (S2D2R). S2D2R which is composed of a hybrid diagnostic method (MHD) and a human robot interaction module (MIHR) aims to detect faults as quickly as possible and then inform an operator in order to resolve the problem. Evaluation of the system in real conditions for faults such as wheel locks and in simulation for GPS faults or IMU faults is presented.
Agricultural robotics is profoundly shaped by existing regulation, in particular relating to product safety certification, civil liability, and data access and usage. The chapter provides an overview of said topics, taking into account existing proposal for future regulation, namely the so-called AI Act, and the proposal for a regulation of civil liability for AI-based applications.
The development of digital technologies, cost pressures and the increasing need for sustainability have heightened interest in the application of robotics and automation to improve the efficiency of agricultural operations. Sensors for autonomous navigation require precise positioning and perception to keep robots on track, avoid obstacles and correctly identify target objects such as fruit. Sensors capable of providing three-dimensional information, such as stereo cameras, time-of-flight cameras and laser scanners, are emerging as effective solutions. Colour, multi- or hyperspectral and thermal cameras are also widely used for real-time crop sensing. This chapter reviews the advantages and limitations of these sensors for practical farming operations.
This chapter discusses the role of robotics in greenhouse cultivation, starting with key challenges. Current technology is then presented, grouped by the main tasks executed by the robots. The selective harvesting of major greenhouse crops (e.g. tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper, strawberries and flowers) is explored, followed by a description of crop maintenance operations, including automatic leaf removal. Plant propagation operations, including grafting and autonomous planting of cuttings, are then analyzed. Attention is then given to crop scouting and the detection of disease and insects and control tasks using robots and drones. A section on autonomous transport and logistics in the greenhouse concludes this section, before future trends in greenhouse robotics research are discussed. Despite considerable technical advances, success rates, accuracy and speed of most developed systems remain insufficient. Future research is needed in most areas, including enhancement of grippers, sensors and manipulators. Using artificial intelligence for sensing and control of greenhouse robots is expected to intensify in the future.
This chapter provides an overview of the state of the art for grasping and manipulation in agricultural settings. It begins with a review of the robotic mechanisms commonly used for manipulation and grasping. The discussion then addresses issues associated with the integration of different technologies required to create fieldable manipulation systems, namely perception and control. Finally, a review of some specific application areas being addressed is provided, including harvest, pruning and food handling. The chapter is intended to serve as an useful starting point for researchers and practitioners interested in learning more about the challenges and associated approaches being used for grasping and manipulation for agricultural applications.
This chapter reviews the use of robots in field crop cultivation. The chapter begins by providing an overview of current requirements for robots involved in field cultivation, then goes on to describe enabling technologies for in-field robots. The chapter also provides several examples of in field crop cultivation robot application, such as for transplanting, monitoring and control of weeds, plant diseases and pests and also harvesting.
Provides a comprehensive review of the recent advances in agricultural robotics, such as advances in sensing and perception, as well as technologies and actuation Addresses our understanding of the social, ethical and economic aspects of agricultural robotics, including the regulatory frameworks and standards required to authorise their adoption Provides examples of the practical application of agricultural robotics in an array of agricultural settings, from greenhouse and orchard cultivation, to meat/fish processing