Top Robotic Applications in the Agricultural Industry
Technostacks
Technology has transformed so many industries, and agriculture isn’t an exception here. With the help of technology, agriculture is evolving as a high-tech job lately with so many robots and drones involved in it. The engineers are striving and working hard to design the robotic models that stand out and help farmers in their various applications.
There are renowned companies that are manufacturing agriculture-related robotics that is taking care of various tasks of a farmer. The robot market is ever-growing, and with every passing year, the new technology is making a huge impact.
As per the statista report, The market value of social and entertainment robots was 1.08 billion USD in 2019 and it is expected to reach 1.38 billion USD by 2025. The market value for robots has skyrocketed lately, and now the reported CAGR for them is around 23%. This scenario will increase and reach even more heights in 2020, and by 2023 it is expected to become a 12 billion USD market around the world as per the agriculture robot research paper.
The development of robotic applications in the agriculture industry is pretty quick, and with fantastic results, it is turning to be one of the biggest revolutions in agriculture pretty soon.
Which Are The Top Agriculture Robotics Applications Can be Used In Farming?
Here are some of the amazing robotic applications in the agricultural industry that can potentially transform the market. Let’s explore the ways robotics is changing the agriculture industry.
Harvesting and Picking
Harvesting is a repetitive work that takes up substantial manual labor and becomes a little boring after some while. This scenario is a task that should be replaced by robots so that the work gets done in time correctly. However, that’s not the case all the time. Harvesting particular kinds of plants like wheat, barley, and corn are natural, but when it comes to some other products like fruits and vegetables, it is not possible to harvest them. The farmers can use combined harvester, which will work as a tractor and harvest the plants, but the same strategy isn’t fit for fruits and various other plants.
Some companies are trying to prepare a robot that can harvest fruits without any hassle, but they haven’t found a reliable solution yet. If the technology is successful, then it will evolve as one of the most critical things in the agricultural robots future. However, when it comes to processes like packing, solutions from innovators such as Standard Bots are already making waves. Pick-and-place and case packing capabilities are part and parcel of what the latest hardware and software can achieve. This in turn means that there’s a lot to be gained by agricultural organizations that embrace robotics sooner rather than later.
Crop Seeding
Every plant goes from a seed, and it is essential to spread seeds in the right places around the field. The traditional method of sowing seeds is to distribute them across the field with the help of a tractor. The farmers attach a broadcast spreader to the tractor, and this will scatter the seeds while the tractor is driven at a steady pace. This method is not very efficient and has some of the disadvantages too.
The autonomous precision seeding is a technology that is used for the spreading of seeds. It uses geo-mapping technology to find the precise points where the soil quality is excellent and will help in distributing seeds there only. This way, it becomes pretty easy for the farmers to complete seeding in the places where there are better prospects. The placement of these seeds is going to matter a lot as it will have a massive influence on agriculture performance.
Fertilization and Irrigation
Fertilization and irrigation are two pretty essential as well as severe tasks for farmers. If irrigation is not done effectively, it will waste the needed amount of water, which is not something one can afford to do. The same goes for fertilizer too. If proper fertilization methods are not adopted, the farmers end up wasting a lot of fertilizer as it becomes tough to go into the grown field. This scenario is the reason why it is always a good thing to rely on robotics to do these things.
The robots are pretty advanced, and they understand how much water a particular kind of plant needs and provide them with enough water only. The similar case applies for fertilizer too. Every plant will get the right amount of fertilizer that will keep it safe. They are small in size and can go into fields like corn plants pretty quickly. This way, the work can be completed with ease, and the farmers don’t have to worry about improper watering or fertilization.
Thinning and Pruning
Both thinning and pruning are vital tasks that need special care as well as precision. Thinning is a process where the unwanted plants or parts of plants are removed so that they can make room for the new plants. This process is pretty tough, and if farmers don’t pay proper attention, they may harm an entire tree too. This case is the reason why it is crucial to go with the robotics that will help in cutting the trees entirely. The robot will help in the density reduction of the plants. When you leave a robot in the field, it will examine each plant and identify the parts that they have to remove and the products that they have to keep safe.
Pruning is a pretty complicated job where the farmers have to remove particular parts of the plant so that the tree grows effectively. If precise care is not taken while removing the parts of plants, it can result in some huge problems. The latest robotic automation process will help in getting rid of the plant parts that are not essential for a tree and helps it grow even more effectively.
Nursery Planting
Nurseries have always been a go-to option for so many gardeners. And people who are interested in growing the plants in their home. The nurseries are in need of a robotic automation process so that the entire work is executed without human intervention. This way, the planting process won’t require manual labor, and a lot of efforts will be saved at the same time.
Monitoring of Crops and Analysis
It is crucial to monitor the agricultural fields from time to time in order to curb any kind of plant issues in it. A human can’t get into the field and check each and every plant with the utmost precision. There are high chances of human error, and this is where the robotic automation steps in the process. The monitoring of fields is one of the essential agricultural robotics applications in this industry, and it is going to have a considerable impact.
There are drones and various other kinds of robots that will observe every plant present in a field irrespective of its size. These robots will then help in identifying any type of problems or issues and provide its report to the farmers directly. This way, it becomes pretty easy for farmers to know what kind of issues are there in their fields without going and checking them by themselves. The precision and perfection of these robots are noteworthy.
Spraying Pesticides and Weeding of Crops
Pesticides are pretty harmful to the environment, and spraying more amounts of them onto the plants can harm the people who are consuming it. Usually, when farmers spray these pesticides, there are high chances of them spraying more than usual and harm the environment. This scenario is the critical reason why automation is significant in this particular field. The robots will distribute an equal amount of pesticide for every plant and ensure that an extra amount of pesticide isn’t distributed.
The same goes for the weeding of crops too. There are robots that can be attached to tractors and taken into the field. These robots will check the plants, and if there are any weeds, they are taken out immediately without harming the neighbor plants. These robots implement techniques and use tools such as a laser for getting rid of weeds.
How Can I Implement Digital Robotic Technology In My Farming?
These are the ways and approaches how robotics can help in farming as well as the agriculture sector. Technostacks is a leading app development company and has been working towards the goal of digitizing the farming methodologies. We have worked and delivered app solutions for the harvesting and agriculture business already.
If you want us to convert your agriculture farming strategies into current digital technology, then we are here to solve your problems. Also, if you have a project idea, you can any time get in touch with us for practical and cost-effective solutions to bring in the great future of robotic agriculture.
