Reconfigurable agricultural robotics: Control strategies, communication, and applications

Over the past decade, the integration of robotic systems into agricultural tasks has catalyzed a transformation in food production processes, spanning from planting to harvesting stages. The precision and efficiency of robotic technology enable advanced crop management applications, including plant disease detection, optimized water and nutrient usage, and continuous monitoring of environmental and soil conditions. The adoption of robotics in agriculture, driven by intelligent automation, not only enhances crop yields but also reduces environmental impacts, thereby addressing key challenges such as climate change and population growth in pursuit of sustainable food security.
This article provides a comprehensive review of the state of the art in modular robotic systems and their agricultural applications. Modular robots offer reconfigurability and adaptability, supporting versatile, task-specific solutions that are essential for the evolving demands of the agricultural sector. These solutions are largely contingent upon the robot’s control architecture, which can be classified as centralized, decentralized, or hybrid. Centralized control facilitates unified management and precise coordination for high-accuracy tasks, while decentralized systems offer flexibility and resilience in dynamic environments that demand adaptability. Hybrid control approaches, which combine elements of both centralized and decentralized methods, aim to balance control with autonomy, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in real-world applications.
In some scenarios, bio-inspired motion control techniques are embedded into control systems to emulate natural behaviors and enhance a robot’s adaptability for specific tasks. For example, bio-inspired models such as chemosynthesis — a process in which bacteria transform inorganic compounds into energy — have been adapted for individual robots to support autonomous exploration and navigation. Consequently, this article discusses the convergence of modular robotics, bio-inspired control strategies, and their potential as sustainable solutions to contemporary agro-industrial challenges.