How harvesting robots are improving farm efficiency?

A technological revolution is currently taking place in modern agriculture. The use of harvesting robots in nearly every other significant industry has progressed rapidly, but in contrast, the development of robotics in agriculture has been somewhat slow. Robotics in modern agriculture has real advantages for both consumers and producers.

Intelligent agriculture practices are gaining traction due to the growing need for food security and the requirement. It increases agricultural output to fulfill the demands of a growing world population. Thus, it is anticipated to fuel the market growth. In addition, according to a research report by Astute Analytica, the Global Harvesting Robot Market is likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.8% over the projection period from 2023 to 2031.

Steps for improving farm efficiency:

Weed removal: Harvesting robots will carefully traverse the field and spray brief bursts of herbicide only on the weeds. It reduces the impact on the environment and increases overall effectiveness. These robots can differentiate between crops and weeds due to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine vision. Some of these robots even include a second camera that continually checks how the herbicide is affecting the weed after it has been sprayed.

Phenotyping: It is the method of determining a plant's health based on how it looks. Although it might seem easy, inspecting each plant individually on a large farm is a time-consuming operation. This is being made simpler by harvesting robots. These devices can measure the size of plants using sensors like hyperspectral thermal cameras and weather stations. They can then be fed to a computer to create growth-prediction models. Farmers will be able to determine whether a plant needs particular care before planting due to this.

Seeding: Currently, forestry industries are the main businesses using harvesting robots, but this could change in the future as other industries adopt them. Its planting makes it possible to replant inaccessible locations without putting workers in danger. They are also capable to plant considerably more effectively with a crew of two operators and 10 drones that can plant 400,000 trees each day.

Packing and Sorting: This is the last stage of production from the standpoint of the farmer. It calls for cautious processing of the crops while making sure of correct packing. These processes could be carried out in low-temperature settings to guarantee the products survive longer. In this, harvesting robots are the perfect tool since, unlike people. They can operate in any environmental conditions.

Picking: This is the task that robots are used for the most. While picking a fruit may seem like a straightforward operation, it takes a lot of work to locate fruit. It determines whether it is good enough to be picked, then picks the fruit without damaging it. The picking arm needs to be specifically designed for the type of fruit it will be picking. For instance, raspberries require a more precise approach than oranges and apples. This should be achieved with the right combination of agricultural linear actuators, sensors, and gears kept in an optimal configuration.