Designing a low-cost automated mobile robot for South African citrus farmers

Abstract

Citrus farming in South Africa has become extremely lopsided in terms of economic opportunities. The statistics show that the wealthy large-scale farmers simultaneously control 100% of the international export market and 77.1% of the local market, hence endangering the prospect of the small- and medium-scale farmers. This research presents a novel, low-cost autonomous mobile robot (AMR) designed to support small- and medium-scale citrus farmers in South Africa, enhancing their competitiveness in both local and international markets. Developed using GENESYS software 2023 University Edition for systems integration, the AMR offers real-time crop monitoring to aid phytosanitary regulations compliance, autonomous navigation with object avoidance, error alerts, GPS functionality, and auto-homing when battery levels drop to 30%. Additionally, it captures periodic snapshots of citrus crops for visual inspection and assists with proof of protocols for sustaining citrus and treating infected trees, hence increasing its credibility and accountability for export and local markets. The AMR represents a significant advancement in affordable smart technology for sustainable citrus farming.