An Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle: A Technology Driven Approach for Spraying Agrochemicals in Agricultural Crops

Abstract

The application of chemicals through spraying is an essential component of agricultural management systems. However, the use of these chemical products results in the accumulation of residues in the soil, leading to a decline in soil fertility and plant diversity. Additionally, farmers who manually spray pesticides onto their crop fields are at risk of developing health issues such as tumors, hypersensitivity, allergies, and skin diseases. As the global population continues to grow and climate change impacts farmland ecosystems, the occurrence of pest epidemics in crops is becoming more frequent. Consequently, there is a greater demand for enhanced tools and methods to improve crop production. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have the potential to revolutionize agricultural spraying by offering efficient and effective applications of crop protection agrochemicals. This article provides an overview and consolidation of the present research and advancements in UGV application technologies and different sensors that are specifically designed for spray applications of agrichemicals. It examines the features of both hardware and software architecture for implementing control strategies, obstacle detection, and avoidance systems with real-time integrated systems, and the ability to perform variable-rate agrochemical applications.