journal article·2024-03-01Open access

Soft robotics for farm to fork: applications in agriculture & farming

Costanza Armanini, Kai Junge, Philip Johnson, Charles Whitfield, Federico Renda, Marcello Calisti, Josie Hughes

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics· Volume 19· Issue 2

Abstract

Abstract Agricultural tasks and environments range from harsh field conditions with semi-structured produce or animals, through to post-processing tasks in food-processing environments. From farm to fork, the development and application of soft robotics offers a plethora of potential uses. Robust yet compliant interactions between farm produce and machines will enable new capabilities and optimize existing processes. There is also an opportunity to explore how modeling tools used in soft robotics can be applied to improve our representation and understanding of the soft and compliant structures common in agriculture. In this review, we seek to highlight the potential for soft robotics technologies within the food system, and also the unique challenges that must be addressed when developing soft robotics systems for this problem domain. We conclude with an outlook on potential directions for meaningful and sustainable impact, and also how our outlook on both soft robotics and agriculture must evolve in order to achieve the required paradigm shift.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Soft Robotics and Applications · Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence · Micro and Nano Robotics

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

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