Review

Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives

Volume: 32 Number: 4 October 12, 2026

Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives

Abstract

This comprehensive narrative review examines the current state and future development perspectives of autonomous robotic systems within the scope of the Agriculture 5.0 paradigm, which aims for sustainable and efficient agricultural production. In this paper, the cognitive and physical structure of robotic systems is addressed through the "Eye-Brain-Foot Hand" hierarchy, and the role of next-generation Vision-Language Action (VLA) models, such as RT-2 and OpenVLA, in contextual agronomic decision-making processes is analyzed. Within the scope of field applications, the SAM2-based SPAF framework, which offers 95.54% harvesting success rate in tomatoes, and spot-spraying technologies that reduce chemical input volume by 90% are evaluated using quantitative data. Furthermore, the synergy between heterogeneous UAV-UGV fleets, trust-building through Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI), and emerging advanced technological approaches such as Quantum Reinforcement Learning (QRL) are assessed. The results demonstrate that autonomous agriculture is not merely a tool to enhance technical efficiency, but is transforming into a cyber-physical production ecosystem where ethical responsibility, data sovereignty, and environmental sustainability converge. 

Keywords

Ethical Statement

“The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest to disclose.”

References

  1. Abeyrathna R M R D & Ahamed T (2024). Approaches for improving fruit detection and gripping mechanisms in orchard robotic fruit harvesting. In T. Ahamed (Ed.), IoT and AI in agriculture. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1263-2_21
  2. Adel A, Pullanagari R, Alani N H S, Al-Rawi M, Fouzia S & Berger B (2026). Drones-of-the-future in Agriculture 5.0 – Automation, integration, and optimisation. Agricultural Systems, 231, Article 104543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104543
  3. Aghi D, Mazzia V & Chiaberge M (2020). Local motion planner for autonomous navigation in vineyards with a RGB-D camera-based algorithm and deep learning synergy. Machines 8(2): Article 27
  4. Ahmed A, Zhang Z, Manzoor S H, Abdelhamid M A, Gul N, Ahmed R, Mhamed M, Sun R, Hao C, Huo W, Zhang Y, & Garcia N M (2026). Cucumber picking robots: Technological progress, challenges, and future directions. Smart Agricultural Technology, 13, Article 101813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2026.101813
  5. Ailian J & Ahamed T (2024). Automatic navigation of pesticide spraying vehicle for orchard tree trunk detection. In T. Ahamed (Ed.), IoT and AI in agriculture. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1263-2_6
  6. Albiero D (2019). Agricultural robotics: A promising challenge. Current Agriculture Research Journal 7(1): 1–3. https://doi.org/10.12944/CARJ.7.1.01
  7. Al Khatib N & Cafolla D (2025). From vision to grasp: Agricultural product recognition and manipulation through TCP dynamic realignment. In G Carbone & G Quaglia (Eds.), Proceedings of I4SDG Workshop 2025 - IFToMM for Sustainable Development Goals. I4SDG 2025.
  8. Mechanisms and Machine Science (Vol. 179). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-91151-4_51

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Intelligent Robotics, Precision Agriculture Technologies

Journal Section

Review

Publication Date

October 12, 2026

Submission Date

May 23, 2026

Acceptance Date

July 23, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 32 Number: 4

APA
Özgüven, M. M. (2026). Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 32(4), 823-844. https://doi.org/10.15832/ankutbd.1957708
AMA
1.Özgüven MM. Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives. J Agr Sci-Tarim Bili. 2026;32(4):823-844. doi:10.15832/ankutbd.1957708
Chicago
Özgüven, Mehmet Metin. 2026. “Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives”. Journal of Agricultural Sciences 32 (4): 823-44. https://doi.org/10.15832/ankutbd.1957708.
EndNote
Özgüven MM (October 1, 2026) Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives. Journal of Agricultural Sciences 32 4 823–844.
IEEE
[1]M. M. Özgüven, “Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives”, J Agr Sci-Tarim Bili, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 823–844, Oct. 2026, doi: 10.15832/ankutbd.1957708.
ISNAD
Özgüven, Mehmet Metin. “Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives”. Journal of Agricultural Sciences 32/4 (October 1, 2026): 823-844. https://doi.org/10.15832/ankutbd.1957708.
JAMA
1.Özgüven MM. Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives. J Agr Sci-Tarim Bili. 2026;32:823–844.
MLA
Özgüven, Mehmet Metin. “Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives”. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 32, no. 4, Oct. 2026, pp. 823-44, doi:10.15832/ankutbd.1957708.
Vancouver
1.Mehmet Metin Özgüven. Autonomous Robotic Systems in Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Technical Architecture, Operational Applications, and Future Perspectives. J Agr Sci-Tarim Bili. 2026 Oct. 1;32(4):823-44. doi:10.15832/ankutbd.1957708

Journal of Agricultural Sciences is published as open access journal. All articles are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).