Operational, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of an Agricultural Robot in Seeding and Weeding Operations

The development of robotic-based agricultural machinery systems has significantly increased in recent years. Many autonomous systems have not yet been measured based on sustainability and economic performances, even though automation is regarded as an opportunity to increase safety, dependability, productivity, and efficiency. The operational aspect, economic viability, and environmental impact of replacing conventional machinery with robotized alternatives are the primary focus of this study. The robot considered in this research is designed for extensive fieldwork, where PTO and external hydraulics are required. This robot is equipped with two 75 (hp) Kubota diesel engines with a total engine gross power of up to 144 (hp). Both robotic system and conventional machinery were described, and different scenarios were used to examine various operational and environmental indicators, as well as individual cost elements, considering various field sizes and working widths of implements used in seeding and weeding operations. The findings demonstrate that the robotic system outperforms conventional machinery in terms of operational efficiency by as much as 9%. However, the effective field capacity comparison reveals that the conventional system has a field capacity that is up to 3.6 times greater than that of the robotic system. Additionally, the total cost per hour of the robotic system is up to 57% lower than that of the conventional system. The robotic system can save up to 63.3% of fuel during operation, resulting in the same percentage reduction in CO2 emissions as the conventional system, according to a comparison of fuel consumption.

Automated summary

The development of robotic-based agricultural machinery systems has increased significantly in recent years. This study focuses on the operational aspect, economic viability, and environmental impact of replacing conventional machinery with robotized alternatives. The findings show that the robotic system outperforms conventional machinery in terms of operational efficiency by 9%, while the conventional system has a 3.6 times greater field capacity. The total cost per hour of the robotic system is 57% lower than that of the conventional system. The robotic system can save up to 63.3% of fuel and achieve the same percentage reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the conventional system.