Reconfigurable agricultural robotics: Control strategies, communication, and applications

IF 8.9 1区农林科学 Q1 AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Computers and Electronics in Agriculture Pub Date : 2025-03-06 DOI:10.1016/j.compag.2025.110161

Henry Alberto Hernández , Iván Fernando Mondragón , Sergio Ramiro González , Luis Fernando Pedraza

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Over the past decade, the integration of robotic systems into agricultural tasks has catalyzed a transformation in food production processes, spanning from planting to harvesting stages. The precision and efficiency of robotic technology enable advanced crop management applications, including plant disease detection, optimized water and nutrient usage, and continuous monitoring of environmental and soil conditions. The adoption of robotics in agriculture, driven by intelligent automation, not only enhances crop yields but also reduces environmental impacts, thereby addressing key challenges such as climate change and population growth in pursuit of sustainable food security.

This article provides a comprehensive review of the state of the art in modular robotic systems and their agricultural applications. Modular robots offer reconfigurability and adaptability, supporting versatile, task-specific solutions that are essential for the evolving demands of the agricultural sector. These solutions are largely contingent upon the robot’s control architecture, which can be classified as centralized, decentralized, or hybrid. Centralized control facilitates unified management and precise coordination for high-accuracy tasks, while decentralized systems offer flexibility and resilience in dynamic environments that demand adaptability. Hybrid control approaches, which combine elements of both centralized and decentralized methods, aim to balance control with autonomy, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in real-world applications.

In some scenarios, bio-inspired motion control techniques are embedded into control systems to emulate natural behaviors and enhance a robot’s adaptability for specific tasks. For example, bio-inspired models such as chemosynthesis — a process in which bacteria transform inorganic compounds into energy — have been adapted for individual robots to support autonomous exploration and navigation. Consequently, this article discusses the convergence of modular robotics, bio-inspired control strategies, and their potential as sustainable solutions to contemporary agro-industrial challenges.

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可重构农业机器人：控制策略、通信和应用

在过去的十年中，机器人系统与农业任务的整合促进了食品生产过程的转变，从种植到收获阶段。机器人技术的精度和效率使先进的作物管理应用成为可能，包括植物病害检测，优化水和养分的使用，以及对环境和土壤条件的持续监测。在智能自动化的驱动下，在农业中采用机器人技术不仅可以提高作物产量，还可以减少对环境的影响，从而在追求可持续粮食安全的过程中应对气候变化和人口增长等关键挑战。这篇文章提供了在模块化机器人系统及其农业应用的艺术状态的全面审查。模块化机器人提供可重构性和适应性，支持多功能、特定任务的解决方案，这对农业部门不断变化的需求至关重要。这些解决方案很大程度上取决于机器人的控制体系结构，可以分为集中式、分散式或混合式。集中控制促进了对高精度任务的统一管理和精确协调，而分散系统在需要适应性的动态环境中提供了灵活性和弹性。混合控制方法结合了集中和分散方法的元素，旨在平衡控制与自治，提高实际应用中的效率和有效性。在某些情况下，仿生运动控制技术被嵌入到控制系统中，以模拟自然行为并增强机器人对特定任务的适应性。例如，受生物启发的模型，如化学合成——一种细菌将无机化合物转化为能量的过程——已经被适应于个体机器人，以支持自主探索和导航。因此，本文讨论了模块化机器人，仿生控制策略的融合，以及它们作为当代农业工业挑战的可持续解决方案的潜力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 工程技术-计算机：跨学科应用

CiteScore

15.30

自引率

14.50%

发文量

800

审稿时长

62 days

期刊介绍： Computers and Electronics in Agriculture provides international coverage of advancements in computer hardware, software, electronic instrumentation, and control systems applied to agricultural challenges. Encompassing agronomy, horticulture, forestry, aquaculture, and animal farming, the journal publishes original papers, reviews, and applications notes. It explores the use of computers and electronics in plant or animal agricultural production, covering topics like agricultural soils, water, pests, controlled environments, and waste. The scope extends to on-farm post-harvest operations and relevant technologies, including artificial intelligence, sensors, machine vision, robotics, networking, and simulation modeling. Its companion journal, Smart Agricultural Technology, continues the focus on smart applications in production agriculture.