[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.

机器人技术正为特色作物（specialty crops）生产带来革命性变革的机遇，有望实现作业自动化并节约劳动力、肥料、农药等生产投入。鉴于农业机器人（agricultural robot）的重要地位及其近期向特色作物领域的拓展，本研究旨在开展一篇前沿综述，为科学认知以下内容提供支撑：i) 特色作物生产中机器人应用的核心场景；ii) 机器人所具备的具体优势；iii) 当前存在的局限；iv) 未来研究方向。本研究制定了全面的检索策略，以Scopus®与Web of ScienceTM为数据库，选取"robot"与"specialty crops"作为核心检索词。为遵循严格的筛选流程，本研究仅纳入同行评议论文与原创研究，最终筛选得到1988年至2024年间的907篇文献。每篇文献均通过标题、摘要、关键词、研究方法、结论与声明进行了全面评估。分析结果显示，受视觉与识别系统技术进步的推动，近十年来学界对特色作物生产用农业机器人的关注显著提升。收获机器人（harvesting robot）已成为当前的研究热点。施药、修剪、杂草防控、授粉、移栽与施肥机器人则是未来研发战略中亟待探索的新兴研究主题。综上，本研究的结果揭示了特色作物领域农业机器人的发展动态，同时为构建更具可持续性与韧性的农业提供实践参考，标志着农业创新与效率提升的新时代已然到来。