Farm automation robotics beyond drones: ground + data
Learn why farm automation robotics now combines drones, ground robots, and farm systems for planning, support, and safer connected fleets.
Why farm automation robotics is moving beyond drones
Agricultural drones have moved beyond crop scouting. They can now spray, spread granules, map fields and carry loads. Our drone specifications pages show how much aerial work these machines can take on.
- XAG P150 30 L/min
- DJI Agras T100 30 L/min
- XAG P100 Pro 22 L/min
| Model | Value |
|---|---|
| XAG P150 | 30 L/min |
| DJI Agras T100 | 30 L/min |
| XAG P100 Pro | 22 L/min |
Sources: xa.com, ag.dji.com, xa.com
The DJI Agras T100 has a 100 L spray tank and a 150 L spreading tank. Its standard spraying set-up has a maximum take-off weight of 175 kg. The drone can deliver 30 L/min, rising to 40 L/min with the optional four-nozzle set-up.
The XAG P100 Pro has a 50 kg payload capacity and an 80 L container. It can spray at up to 22 L/min or spread at up to 150 kg/min. The XAG P150 has a 70 L smart liquid tank and a 115 L granule container.
These figures show why drones have become useful field tools. Yet they still cover only part of the farm workflow. Mowing, stubble work, weed control, packing and other ground jobs need a different type of machine.
That is driving a shift from single drones towards mixed fleets. A farm may use aerial machines for fast work across crops, then ground robots for tasks at soil level. A management system can tie those jobs to field plans and farm data.
The case for automation rests on clear aims. Farms want to raise work rates, cut labour costs, reduce waste and improve yields. Labour shortages and rising wages are also pushing growers towards autonomous tractors and robotic systems.
Those gains are not automatic. More machines create more routes, software accounts, charging tasks and data flows to manage. Operators must judge the whole workflow, not just the output claimed for one machine.
Case study: ground robotics for orchard and field maintenance
XAG has introduced an all-electric unmanned mowing robot for orchard management, land reclamation and field stubble removal. This brings its automation work from the air down to crop and soil level. It also shows why a ground platform can fill gaps that a spray drone cannot.
A dual-battery system gives up to 40 minutes of work per charge. Its maximum speed is 1.5 m/s, and it can work on slopes up to 30 percent.
Its ground clearance is 270 mm, while an aluminium frame is meant to help it work over rough ground. Depending on orchard layout, reported work rate runs from 0.33 to 0.53 hectares per hour.
Those figures need to be read as a set. Work time alone does not show how much land the robot can clear. Layout, terrain and the amount of turning will affect how far it gets before a battery change.
Mowing as part of weed control
The robot is not limited to cutting grass. It can shred stubble and weeds down to ground level. This exposes weed seeds that were sheltered under crop residue.
Birds, insects and weather may then act on the exposed seed. Clearing stubble can also prompt weed seeds to germinate together through a false seedbed effect. A grower can then target that flush in one pass.
Removing standing stubble also takes away shelter used by weeds, pests and fungal disease between seasons. It can improve the effect of pre-emergent herbicides as well. The value of the job therefore reaches beyond a tidy orchard floor.
The control system includes path memory, path planning, automatic return and cruise control. These tools address the repeated routes found in orchards and other set field layouts. They also reduce the need for constant manual steering.
What an operator should assess
The published specification gives a useful first screen, but it does not settle the buying case. A grower still needs to match the machine to the ground and the work calendar. The key questions are practical:
- Can it hold a clean path on the farm’s steepest working ground?
- How will battery changes fit around the rest of the crew?
- Does orchard layout support the stated work-rate range?
- Where will staff recover the machine if it stops?
- How will its route data fit the farm’s wider work plan?
This is where broader buying advice matters. Our guides index provides a starting point for comparing field needs rather than treating one specification as the whole answer.
How sky-to-ground automation fits together
XAG has described its smart agriculture approach as moving “from sky to ground”. At a Smart Agriculture Conference held on 19 December 2019, it linked a product launch with a wider farm management plan. The message was that drones, ground robots and farm systems should work as one set.
That view splits smart farming into linked layers. Digital agriculture covers the planning, process and results of production through data tools. Precision agriculture uses information technology for precise control through drones, robots and intelligent irrigation.
Smart agriculture then combines those parts into a production system. This framing matters because a robot does not decide the farm plan by itself. It carries out work that must still be timed, checked and recorded.
More recent XAG work points in the same direction. Its autonomous workflow concept extends beyond drone flight to charging, chemical mixing, refilling and cleaning. It links spraying, surveying, mowing and logistics rather than leaving each task on its own.
This changes what “automation” means. Automating a flight still leaves refill work, charging and cleaning with the crew. Automating those support jobs moves the system closer to an end-to-end field process.
It also makes weak links easier to see. A fast drone gains little if refill work cannot keep pace. A ground robot may lose useful field time if battery changes or route set-up are poorly planned.
Farm robotics works as a system
A mixed fleet needs a shared plan. The drone and ground robot may work in the same field, but they do not have the same route, speed or task. Their work must still feed into one crop record.
The simplest way to assess the system is to follow each job from start to finish. That means checking planning, machine set-up, work in the field, refill or charging, cleaning and data storage. Any step that still needs repeated manual work can limit the gain.
Operators should also define who remains in charge. Field robot safety discussions have stressed that a human operator still holds responsibility for the machine. High crops, rough land and changing field conditions can make outdoor work harder than work in a warehouse.
Good navigation does not remove the need for a recovery plan. A crew needs to know when to stop a task and how to reach the machine safely. It also needs a clear route for support when hardware or software fails.
Connected machines increase cyber risk
A growing robot fleet is also a growing digital network. Remote monitoring and software updates can cut downtime, but they create access points. Old firmware, weak passwords and poor staff training can leave those points exposed.
A cyber incident can stop equipment during a key field window. It can also block support staff or corrupt the data used for farm decisions. The result may affect field work, records and the wider supply chain.
Basic controls should cover the whole fleet:
- Keep software and firmware up to date.
- Replace default passwords and use secure sign-in.
- Keep robot networks apart from general internet access where possible.
- Back up key farm data offline or in encrypted cloud storage.
- Train each person who can access machine controls.
These steps are not separate from machine care. They are part of keeping connected equipment ready for work. Adding another robot should trigger a review of access, updates, backups and staff roles.
Industrial momentum: robotics, sensing and data in one platform
The move towards joined-up automation is not limited to drone firms. Yamaha Motor said on 25 February 2025 that it had agreed to acquire New Zealand-based startup Robotics Plus. Closing was scheduled to occur by April after the needed steps.
Robotics Plus works on agricultural automation through robotics, sensing and data analytics. Its work includes unmanned ground vehicle automation for spraying and weed control. It has also developed automated fruit packing and robotic log measurement systems.
Yamaha Motor had invested in Robotics Plus since 2017. It had also bought assets from Australian digital agriculture company The Yield and moved them into a new subsidiary. The Yield works with data analytics and AI for yield prediction, harvest timing and spray timing.
Yamaha Agriculture was set up in April 2024 and began part of its work in July that year. Its stated plan is to combine robotic systems with data analytics. The target crops include wine grapes, apples and other specialty crops.
This is a useful sign of where farm automation is heading. The core offer is no longer just a robot that carries out one field task. It combines the machine, sensors, farm data and the software used to make decisions.
For growers, that makes system fit as important as machine output. A high work rate has value only when the rest of the farm can support it. Data also needs to reach the people who plan the next job.
What the shift means for farms
Drones remain a key part of automated farming. Their speed and reach suit spraying, spreading and mapping across large areas. Ground robots add work that must happen close to the crop, residue or soil.
The next step is to connect those machines without making the farm harder to run. That means fewer isolated controls, clear job records and firm rules for access. It also means planning charging, refilling, cleaning and recovery before field work starts.
A farm does not need to automate every task at once. It needs to find the jobs where a robot can remove a real bottleneck. The best test is whether the full workflow becomes safer, simpler and easier to repeat.