Agricultural robots are an advanced form of agricultural machinery, but their introduction into the lives of ordinary farmers will take considerable time. Smart agriculture isn’t a battle between humans and machines, but rather a mutual empowerment of both. Traditional agricultural machinery transforms farmers from manual laborers to machine operators; smart agricultural robots will transform them into robot managers and data decision-makers.
Unitree Robotics recently announced the application of its quadruped robot, Go2, in smart agriculture, exploring new avenues for robotic agricultural empowerment. Developed by Shenzhen Blue Man Robotics Co., Ltd. and Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), China’s first winter jujube harvesting robot, Basketball Man, was recently deployed in Dali, Shaanxi Province, China. The Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences successfully developed “Jill,” the world’s first intelligent breeding robot capable of autonomous navigation and hybrid pollination. Fudan University’s Robotics and Autonomous Unmanned Systems Laboratory unveiled an intelligent agricultural robot for precision tomato operations. More and more companies are entering the thriving field of agricultural robotics.
With an aging rural workforce and high labor costs, agriculture is eager for intelligent technology. Unlike previous agricultural robots, intelligent agricultural robots can perceive environmental data in real time and, through image recognition and deep learning, make autonomous decisions and take action. For example, in the past, humans had to “mark” maps and manually plan routes. Now, with Beidou + 5G technology and intelligent algorithms, autonomous routes can be planned and obstacles avoided. Leveraging breakthroughs in AI technology, agricultural robots are now capable of performing tasks such as inspections, fertilization, spraying, and harvesting. For example, Unitree Robotics, equipped with specialized agricultural sensors and an AI vision system, can monitor seedling growth and collect field data in real time.
Whether it’s Unitree Robotics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, or Fudan University, none of them are traditional agricultural research institutions or agricultural technology companies. They’ve entered this field because they’re optimistic about the technology and application prospects of agricultural robots. The success of agricultural robots stems not only from the rapid advancement of general technologies like machine vision, knowledge graphs, and decision-making models, but also from the increasing maturity of agricultural information acquisition technologies like satellite remote sensing, low-altitude technology, ground-based Internet of Things, and agricultural sensors. With the large-scale development of agriculture, agricultural infrastructure and management systems have significantly improved, creating new opportunities for innovation. This has led many business and research institutions to target the promising agricultural sector for innovation.
In reality, agricultural robots are more challenging to develop and deploy than their industrial counterparts. The reasons for this are: first, agriculture is a non-standardized environment, targeting living organisms, and no two leaves are exactly alike. This requires the collaborative efforts of experts in fields such as optics, sensing, mechanics, and algorithms. Second, agriculture’s comparative benefits are low; while technology doesn’t necessarily need to be cutting-edge, costs must be kept as low as possible. Without benefits, farmers won’t buy in. Third, some technological products sound impressive but prove difficult to implement. For example, for fruit picking, staff admit that the most challenging part is identifying ripe fruit and avoiding branches and leaves for non-destructive harvesting. These combined factors have resulted in agricultural robots remaining largely a “bonsai” landscape, used only in a very limited number of businesses and scenarios.
The allure of technology lies in its powerful iterative evolutionary capabilities. As it becomes increasingly practical, its costs are expected to continue to decline. The highlight of Unitree Go2 Agriculture Edition is its “AI vision + edge computing” capabilities. With a base price of $1,600, it offers excellent value for high-value agriculture. The second-generation winter jujube harvesting robot prototype has entered the development phase, focusing on addressing issues such as reduced recognition and grasping efficiency in high-temperature conditions. The third generation is also on the development schedule. This suggests that the industry should proceed from a practical perspective and continuously iterate and optimize, especially by finding breakthroughs in reducing costs and increasing efficiency, creating diverse solutions, and increasing their appeal.
The development of agricultural robots requires historical patience. Agricultural robots are an advanced form of agricultural machinery, and their introduction into the lives of ordinary farmers will take considerable time. It’s crucial to understand that smart agriculture isn’t a battle between humans and machines, but rather a mutual empowerment of both. Traditional agricultural machinery transforms farmers from manual laborers into machine operators; smart agricultural robots will transform them into robot managers and data decision makers.
