Agricultural robots drive revolution in fresh produce: the “agronomist dog” that monitors crops with AI
Agricultural robots have become more common in recent years. The global market for these devices is expected to grow to over $100 billion within eight years, driven by the decline in the number of growers, rising labor costs, increased government support for machinery use, and the explosive growth of artificial intelligence.
Fully automated farms are still in the future, but these robots can significantly improve efficiency by performing a variety of field tasks that have traditionally been done manually.
Kedar Iyer, CEO of the agricultural robotics company Frutas AI, tells Portalfruticola.com that the challenges currently facing agriculture demand automated alternatives. However, historically, the sector has been one of the last to adopt technology.
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As a result, he adds, key roles such as agronomist have stagnated and become less attractive to younger generations, who perceive these jobs as exhausting and unglamorous. This perception has deepened, especially as labor shortages intensify globally.
Iyer points out that Frutas AI is one of several companies developing machines to automate tasks in the sector, such as field data collection. The company’s first creation is a dog-shaped robot that roams fields to gather data on crop health, a task previously performed by agronomists walking row by row.
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An agricultural “robot dog” specialized in crops
The Agronomist Robot Dog from Frutas AI autonomously inspects farms, takes inventory, and checks crops less than 1.5 meters tall, such as blueberries. The device can walk through orchard rows unsupervised, monitoring each plant in real time.
The robot provides data on fruit yield and size, identifies rows requiring human attention, learns crop patterns, and autonomously returns to its base to recharge. Growers can let the “robot dog” operate independently within designated areas or control it via a mobile app, allowing them to monitor its progress and adjust its route if needed.
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And if they don’t trust it to do the work unsupervised, it can also function as an assistant, following the farm supervisor as they inspect the rows.
“The robot moves with a bio-inspired gait—think of it as a mountain goat with a brain,” Iyer explained. “It calculates the stability of each step in milliseconds, which is why it can handle uneven or muddy terrain.”
The agricultural robot market is showing strong growth and will triple by 2030
The robodog also uses computer vision models for detection, which—according to the executive—can collect 3D information on each plant. “It processes data from hundreds of plants accurately in minutes, something that would take a human hours to do by walking and counting manually,” he said.
Iyer maintains that a ground-based monitoring robot offers growers an effective solution for optimizing operations and filling sampling gaps.
“Today, an agronomist might inspect 1% of a farm and estimate the rest, while the robot dog covers 100%,” he told our publication. “For the grower, this translates into lower nutrient costs, less waste, and better data management, which means less risk and greater predictability.”
The robot was first tested in table grape vineyards in Chile in September 2025. According to Iyer, the trials resulted in a 95% reduction in adjustment errors, improved consistency in fruit size, and showed 90% accuracy in data on fruit uniformity, size, and color.
The robot was even adopted as a coworker on the farm within its first month of operation, becoming a “friend” to the staff and a popular member of the team.
A work in progress
However, the robot dog isn’t without its quirks. It can handle gentle slopes and minor obstacles, but it needs clear paths—free of large pipes and fallen branches—to avoid tripping and maintain its pace.
Another challenge is connectivity, as many rural and mountainous farms have areas without signal. Nevertheless, Frutas AI’s agricultural “robodog” continues to work offline, although it only uploads data when connected to its charging base, which happens at least every four hours.
Even so, Iyer considers these minor trade-offs for a robot that becomes more independent with each season, adapting its skills to the specific demands of each farm.
“An agronomist’s insights are the most valuable asset on a farm, but their daily reality is still defined by ‘endless looking, walking, counting, and remembering,’” Iyer said.
“We believe the agronomist’s job is ripe for transformation,” he concluded.
Source: www.portalfruticola.com
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