[Database] Advancements in Agricultural Ground Robots for Specialty Crops: An Overview of Innovations, Challenges, and Prospects

Robotic technologies are bringing opportunities to revolutionize the production of specialty crops, offering the potential to automate tasks and save inputs such as labor, fertilizer, and pesticides. Considering the prominence of agricultural robots and their recent expansion into specialty crops, we aimed to develop a state-of-the-art review to scientifically contribute to the understanding of: i) the primary areas of robots’ application for specialty crops; ii) the specific benefits they offer; iii) their current limitations; and iv) opportunities for future investigation. We formulated a comprehensive search strategy, leveraging Scopus® and Web of ScienceTM as databases, and selecting "robot" and "specialty crops" as the main keywords. To follow a critical screening process, only peer-reviewed papers and original research were considered, resulting in the inclusion of 907 papers covering the period from 1988 to 2024. Each paper was thoroughly evaluated based on its title, abstract, keywords, methods, conclusions, and declarations. Our analysis revealed that interest in agricultural robots for specialty crops has significantly increased over the past decade, driven by advancements in vision and recognition systems. Harvesting robots have arisen as the primary focus. Robots for spraying, pruning, weed control, pollination, transplanting, and fertilizing are emerging subjects to be addressed in further research and development strategies. Ultimately, our findings serve to reveal the dynamics of agricultural robots in the world of specialty crops, while supporting suitable practices for more sustainable and resilient agriculture, indicating a new era of innovation and efficiency in agriculture.