Robotics and automation for crop management: trends and perspectives

Current automated machines in agriculture and, particularly, in protected crops mainly consist in ad-hoc equipments able to perform one specific operation (sowing, transplanting etc.) obtaining high performances in terms of speed and work accuracy. Available equipments for greenhouse productions are not enough to fulfil the specific demand of specialized machines and there is a strong need of high level of automation machines that could move and operate autonomously in the production site. The introduction of robotics in glasshouses or tunnels could represent a viable solution once robotized multitasking platforms, which can autonomously perform repetitive tasks, will be available. Autonomous robots could be adopted for localized high precision chemical applications, as well as to perform other operations such as products handling, mechanical weed control, precision fertilization and cutting. Aim of this paper is to discuss, also on the base of the recent results appeared in literature, future trends and application of robotics in protected crops.