Revolutionizing Agriculture: The Role of Robotics and AI in Smart Farming

Robotics in agriculture explores the potential of robotics and artificial intelligence to revolutionize the way farming is done. The current problem in this field revolves around the need to increase efficiency, reduce labor costs, and enhance sustainability in agricultural practices. Despite significant advancements, there are still questions about the scalability of these technologies and their integration into traditional farming systems. Recent studies have shown promising results in the use of autonomous robots for tasks such as planting, harvesting, and monitoring crop health. However, there are gaps in understanding the long-term impacts of these technologies on rural communities, job markets, and the environment. Addressing these gaps requires a multidisciplinary approach that combines insights from robotics, agriculture, and social sciences.

This Research Topic aims to highlight the latest research in robotic technologies relevant to agriculture and farming processes. The main objectives are to explore the potential of robotics for smart farming, provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of research and applications, and identify the challenges, opportunities, and future trends in this field. Specific questions include how robotic systems can be optimized for different agricultural tasks, the role of machine learning in enhancing robotic efficiency, and the social and ethical implications of widespread robotic adoption in agriculture.

To gather further insights in the field of robotics for smart farming, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Robotics and UAVs in Smart Farming
- Robotics for crop production, harvesting, and post-harvest processing
- Autonomous navigation and control of agricultural robots
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence for agricultural robotics
- Deep learning and reinforcement learning for agricultural robotics
- Robotic applications in agriculture for land preparation, sowing, planting, and plant treatment
- Robotics for yield estimation and phenotyping
- Robotic systems for food production and livestock farming
- Robotic fish farming
- Robotic crop sensing, monitoring, and disease detection
- Robotics in precision agriculture and food processing
- Social and ethical implications of robotics in agriculture

Keywords: Robotics, Smart Farming, Autonomous Navigation, Sensor Technologies, Machine Learning

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.