AgroBot Smash a Robotic Platform for the Sustainable Precision Agriculture

Abstract

The growing need for production processes oriented to environmental sustainability is leading to the quickly spreading of robotic solutions. In this scenario, the Smart Machine for Agricultural Solutions High-tech SMASH project is focusing on the development of a robotic collaborative ecosystem. It consists of four main modules: an unmanned ground vehicle (AgroBot), a soil monitoring unit (Plantoid), an aerial unit (FlyBot), and a mobile service unit on the field (AncillaryBot). Furthermore, the SMASH project is implementing technological solutions with a view to resolve some issues related to nutrition safety (e.g. nitrate content on the vegetable) and environmental sustainability (e.g. pesticide use, production process waste) in two representative scenarios of specialty crops (viticulture) and vegetables (spinach). The present work reports the results concerning the design stage and development of the robotic terrestrial platform AgroBot and their implements for the crop protection management and physical control of weeds. A system made of a terrestrial wheeled platform with an innovative perception system and three types of implements have been built to make sustainable agronomic practices.