Type: Book

Advances in agri-food robotics

Editors

Dr Eldert van Henten is Professor of Biosystems Engineering and Head of the Farm Technology Group at Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands. He is co-Chair of the IEEE-RAS Special Interest Group on Agricultural Robotics and Automation, co-Chair of the Technical Commission on Agricultural Robotics at euRobotics, and a member of the CIGR international Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. Professor van Henten is involved in a wide range of EU and National Projects, including Sweeper, CROPS, Trimbot2020, SMARAGD and FlexCRAFT, and is on the editorial board of several journals. Dr Yael Edan is Professor in Industrial Engineering at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, where she is Head of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory and Director of the Agricultural, Biological and Cognitive (ABC) Robotics Initiative. Professor Edan is a member of the IEEE-RAS Special Interest Group on Agricultural Robotics and Automation, and a member of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. She is involved in a number of EU research projects (including the Sweeper and CROPS Projects) and is internationally renowned for her research in such areas as human-robot collaboration.

Dimensions:

229x152mm
6x9"

Publication date:

Q4 2023

Length of book:

600 pages

ISBN-13: 9781801462778

Hardback - £170.00
£170.00
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Description

The global population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Feeding this growing population more sustainably is a huge challenge facing agriculture. Developing agricultural robotics is seen as one potential solution to tackling this challenge.

Advances in agri-food robotics reviews the utilisation of agricultural robots to deal with increasing labour shortages in agriculture whilst bringing greater precision and efficiency into farming operations. The book addresses recent advances in agricultural robotic technologies and how these can be optimised to monitor and manage crop production more effectively, from phenotyping for improved varieties to harvesting the finished product.

In its comprehensive exploration of the technologies available, the book provides farmers with the means necessary to invest – and trust – in agricultural robotics to improve the productivity and profitability of their farm.

With its distinguished editors and expert team of authors, Advances in agri-food robotics will be a standard reference for academic researchers in crop and livestock science, agricultural engineers, data scientists, as well as government and private sector agencies supporting sustainable agriculture and the development of agricultural technology.

Key features

  • Provides a comprehensive review of the recent advances in agricultural robotics, such as advances in sensing and perception, as well as technologies and actuation
  • Addresses our understanding of the social, ethical and economic aspects of agricultural robotics, including the regulatory frameworks and standards required to authorise their adoption
  • Provides examples of the practical application of agricultural robotics in an array of agricultural settings, from greenhouse and orchard cultivation, to meat/fish processing

What others are saying...

"Edited by two internationally distinguished domain experts, this new book offers a comprehensive overview of robotics technology and outlines the recent advancements of applying robotic equipment in agri-food systems. The contributing authors have included a selection of outstanding examples of the successful application of these technologies as a means of illustrating how the adoption of robotic technologies can contribute to improvements in product quality and yields. Thus, I am confident that this book – edited by Professor Eldert van Henten and Professor Yael Edan – will prove to be an excellent resource for understanding and adopting robotic technologies to support innovation in modern agri-food systems."
Professor Qin Zhang, Director, Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems, Washington State University, USA

Table of contents

Part 1 Technologies: sensing and perception
1.Advances in localization and perception in agricultural robotics: Gert Kootstra, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;
2.Advances in world modelling in agricultural robotics: René van de Molengraft, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands;
3.Advance in active perception in agricultural robotics: Jose Blasco-Ivars, IVIA, Spain;
4.Advances in machine learning for agricultural robots: Polina Kurtser, Örerbro University, Sweden;

Part 2 Technologies: intelligence
5.The use of digital twin technologies in agricultural robot system design: Frits van Evert, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;
6.Advances in route/path planning and autonomous navigation in agricultural robotics: Ibrahim Hameed, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway;
7.Advances in multi-robot/swarm robotics for agricultural applications: Elisabeth Sklar, University of Lincoln, UK;
8.Advances in human-robot collaboration in agricultural robotics: George Adamides, Agricultural Research Institute, Cyprus;

Part 3 Technologies: actuation
9.Advances in mobility platforms for agricultural robots: Renato Vidoni, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy;
10.Advances in grasping techniques in agricultural robots: George Kantor, Carnegie Mellon University, USA;
11.Advances in soft robotics in agriculture: Ali Leylavi Shoushtari, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;
12.Advances in agricultural unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs): Cengiz Koparan, North Dakota State University, USA;

Part 4 Operational aspects
13.Advances in connectivity and distributed intelligence in agricultural robotics: Liisa Pesonen, Natural Resources Institute (LUKE), Finland;
14.Advances in task planning in agricultural robotics: Filipe Neves Santos, INESCTEC, Portugal;
15.Advances in fault detection/diagnosis and safety systems in agricultural robotics: Nicolas Tricot, IRSTEA, France;

Part 5 Social, ethical and economic aspects
16.Understanding adoption and acceptance of robotic technology by farmers: Maximo Torero, FAO, Italy;
17.Regulatory frameworks and standards for agricultural robotics: Andrea Bertolini, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Italy;
18.Economics of agricultural robotics: James Lowenberg-Deboer, Harper Adams University, UK;
19.Social and ethical considerations for agricultural robotics: Kirsten Ayris, University of Reading, UK; and David Christian Rose, Cranfield University, UK;

Part 6 Applications
20.Advances in the use of robotics in crop phenotyping: Victor Alchanatis, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Israel;
21.Advances in the use of robots in field crop cultivation: Scott Shearer, Ohio State University, USA;
22.Advances in the use of robotics in orchard cultivation: Manoj Karkee, Washington State University, USA;
23.Advances in the use of robotics in greenhouse cultivation: Jochen Hemming, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;
24.Advances in the use of robotics in livestock production: Kees Lokhorst, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;