Revolution in Brazilian agriculture: replacement of human labor by solar-powered robots are revolutionizing agricultural production from North to South of Brazil

Replacing human labor with solar-powered robots is particularly advantageous for dangerous tasks and in unhealthy environments

Imagine a future where drones fly over crops, solar-powered robots tend the harvest, and smart sensors monitor every detail of the soil. This future is already a reality in Brazil, where precision agriculture and advanced robotics are transforming agricultural production from the north to the south of the country.

From large farms to small producers, technology is revolutionizing the way we grow and care for our food, making the process more efficient, safe and sustainable. Discover how these innovations are shaping the future of Brazilian agriculture and solving the sector's historic challenges.

Brazilian agriculture uses cutting-edge robots to solve production bottlenecks

In Brazil, agriculture is adopting cutting-edge robots to improve agricultural production. The advancement of technology in the field, with automation and robotics applied to biosystems, has brought innovative solutions to plant, animal and forestry production.

The teacher Roberto Fray, from the Department of Biosystems Engineering at Esalq and researcher in machine learning and artificial intelligence, discusses the transformations driven by these advances.

According to the professor, agriculture is one of the areas with the greatest potential for the efficient application of robotics. “In recent years, agriculture has advanced significantly, thanks to new sensors, modern equipment and artificial intelligence. This has revolutionized our view of digital, animal and agricultural production systems. Furthermore, replacing human labor with robots is particularly advantageous for dangerous tasks and in unhealthy environments”, explains Fray.

With the advancement of solar panels, robots operate almost exclusively with solar energy

Several types of robots are being implemented in various areas of agriculture. Drones and wheel-driven robots are the most common today. “The drones carry out detailed surveys of the relief, plant characteristics and mapping of the production environment. This was something extremely difficult to do for some crops, where dense and tall vegetation made it difficult to enter the production field. Land robots are efficient in harvesting, planting, irrigating and spraying large areas”, explains the professor.

The energy sources used by robots are mostly renewable. “Energy has always been a challenge for producers. With the advancement of solar panels, we have robots that operate almost exclusively with solar energy, solving a problem that has existed since the 60s: maintaining robots in places without available electricity. The new solar panels make solving this issue much easier”, explains Fray.

Accessible technology, benefits both large and small producers

The professor highlights that robot models are becoming more accessible, benefiting both large and small producers. “Drones and relief mapping technologies are particularly useful for large productions. For small producers, land-based robots that perform multiple tasks are more relevant, and the technology is becoming more accessible. Initially, the technology reaches large producers due to greater investment capacity, but the reduction in costs tends to make it viable for small farmers as well”, explains Fray.

He adds that work is being carried out to further reduce the costs of applying robots, through so-called modular robots. “Currently, each robot is designed for a specific task, such as harvesting or planting. Modular robots, on the other hand, would be capable of performing multiple tasks with a single machine”, concludes the professor.