AI-Driven Optimization in Robotics and Precision Agriculture

A special issue of Technologies (ISSN 2227-7080). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 952

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, 50100 Kozani, Greece
Interests: machine vision; recycling; robotics; renewable energy sources; embedded systems; environmental sustainability; neural network; waste management; convolutional neural networks; object detection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Robotics, Embedded and Integrated Systems, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, 50131 Kozani, Greece
Interests: computer architecture; robotics; embedded and cyber–physical systems; gamification; Internet of Things; security; hardware and software co-synthesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge advancements in the integration of artificial intelligence, robotics, and precision agriculture, with a particular focus on computational optimization and intelligent automation. We invite high-quality original research, reviews, and case studies that explore how AI-driven methodologies can be leveraged to enhance agricultural robotics, decision-making, and field operations.

As modern agriculture increasingly relies on robotics, embedded systems, and real-time decision-making, the integration of AI with high-performance computing (HPC), heterogeneous architectures (including CPUs, GPUs, and FPGAs), and IoT-enabled platforms has become essential. This Special Issue seeks to showcase contributions that harness AI to optimize robotic performance, enhance autonomy, and improve the overall efficiency and sustainability of precision farming operations.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • AI-based optimization algorithms for agricultural robotics;
  • Embedded and real-time AI systems in field environments;
  • FPGA and heterogeneous acceleration for robotics applications;
  • Sensor fusion, perception, and decision-making in precision agriculture;
  • IoT and edge computing frameworks for smart farming;
  • Reinforcement learning and computer vision for autonomous systems;
  • Scalable HPC architectures for agricultural data analysis;
  • Generative AI for simulation, synthetic data generation, and predictive modeling in agricultural systems;
  • Augmented reality (AR) for operator training, remote supervision, and interactive agricultural planning;
  • Serious games for modeling, simulation, and stakeholder engagement in smart farming and robotics education;
  • Digital twins for modeling, simulation, and real-time optimization of agricultural environments and robotic systems;
  • Field-level implementations and deployments of AI-powered robotic platforms in real agricultural settings;
  • Case studies on operational installations demonstrating practical challenges and performance of AI-integrated systems in precision farming.

Dr. Dimitris Ziouzios
Dr. Minas Dasygenis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • artificial intelligence
  • precision agriculture
  • agricultural robotics
  • optimization algorithms
  • embedded systems
  • FPGA acceleration
  • heterogeneous computing
  • edge AI
  • IoT in agriculture
  • high-performance computing (HPC)
  • sensor fusion
  • autonomous systems
  • computer vision
  • reinforcement learning
  • generative AI
  • digital twins
  • augmented reality
  • serious games
  • real-time systems
  • field deployments
  • smart farming
  • data-driven agriculture
  • robotic perception
  • simulation and modeling

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 3720 KB  
Article
From RGB to Synthetic NIR: Image-to-Image Translation for Pineapple Crop Monitoring Using Pix2PixHD
by Darío Doria Usta, Ricardo Hundelshaussen, Carlos Martínez López, Delio Salgado Chamorro, César López Martínez, João Felipe Coimbra Leite Costa and Marcel Arcari Bassani
Technologies 2025, 13(12), 569; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies13120569 - 5 Dec 2025
Viewed by 694
Abstract
Near-infrared (NIR) imaging plays a crucial role in precision agriculture; however, the high cost of multispectral sensors limits its widespread adoption. In this study, we generate synthetic NIR images (2592 × 1944 pixels) of pineapple crops from standard RGB drone imagery using the [...] Read more.
Near-infrared (NIR) imaging plays a crucial role in precision agriculture; however, the high cost of multispectral sensors limits its widespread adoption. In this study, we generate synthetic NIR images (2592 × 1944 pixels) of pineapple crops from standard RGB drone imagery using the Pix2PixHD framework. The model was trained for 580 epochs, saving the first model after epoch 1 and then every 10 epochs thereafter. While models trained beyond epoch 460 achieved marginally higher metrics, they introduced visible artifacts. Model 410 was identified as the most effective, offering consistent quantitative performance while producing artifact-free results. Evaluation of Model 410 across 229 test images showed a mean SSIM of 0.6873, PSNR of 29.92, RMSE of 8.146, and PCC of 0.6565, indicating moderate to high structural similarity and reliable spectral accuracy of the synthetic NIR data. The proposed approach demonstrates that reliable NIR information can be obtained without expensive multispectral equipment, reducing costs and enhancing accessibility for farmers. By enabling advanced tasks such as vegetation segmentation and crop health monitoring, this work highlights the potential of deep learning–based image translation to support sustainable and data-driven agricultural practices. Future directions include extending the method to other crops, environmental conditions and real-time drone monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue AI-Driven Optimization in Robotics and Precision Agriculture)
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