DEVELOPMENT OF ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR PEST MANAGEMENT

Pest management is an essential component of agriculture because pests such as insects, diseases and weeds cause significant crop losses worldwide. Traditional pest management methods mainly rely on manual field scouting and chemical pesticide applications, which are labour-intensive and often lead to environmental pollution, pesticide resistance, and health risks. Therefore, there is an increasing need for advanced technologies that can improve the efficiency and precision of pest monitoring and control. Robotic technology has emerged as an innovative solution to overcome the limitations of conventional pest management practices. Agricultural robots equipped with sensors, computer vision, artificial intelligence and autonomous navigation systems can detect pest infestations, monitor crop conditions and perform targeted pest control operations. Robotic platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) enable real-time crop monitoring, early pest detection, and site-specific pesticide application. These technologies reduce labour requirements, minimize chemical usage and improve the efficiency and sustainability of pest management in agriculture.