AI Powered Autonomous Robotic Rover for Pest Management: An Experimental Study

Pest infestations significantly threaten crop production, leading to economic losses and food insecurity. Traditional chemical pesticides cause environmental pollution and pest resistance. This article presents an autonomous robotic rover employs a four-wheel, Mars rover-inspired platform with anti-slip rubber grips for robust navigation across agricultural terrains. Real-time pest detection is achieved using an IP camera and a GPU accelerated laptop, leveraging Roboflow for dataset annotation and You Only Look Once version for efficient object detection. Upon detection, a targeted pesticide spray is activated, minimizing pesticide. The methodology focuses on a real-time pest detection pipeline and a custom-designed controller using NodeMCU ESP32. Preliminary testing demonstrates accurate pest detection and targeted spraying, reducing pesticide usage by compared to traditional methods. This approach offers an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional pest control, enhancing crop yields and minimizing environmental impact.