Robotics and Automation in Agriculture and Healthcare Applications

Robotics and automation are reshaping agriculture and healthcare through the integration of artificial intelligence, advanced sensing technologies, and cyber-physical system architectures. Growing demands for sustainable food production, precision medicine, operational efficiency, and labor optimization have accelerated the deployment of autonomous and semi-autonomous robotic platforms across these critical sectors. In precision agriculture, intelligent robotic systems enable real-time crop monitoring, selective resource application, autonomous navigation, and robotic harvesting through multimodal perception and adaptive control strategies. In healthcare environments, robotic technologies enhance surgical accuracy, rehabilitation outcomes, hospital logistics, and smart infrastructure management while maintaining stringent safety and regulatory compliance standards. This chapter presents a comprehensive cross-domain analysis of intelligent robotic architectures, energy-efficient scalable system design, soft robotic manipulation, human–robot collaboration models, and digital twin–enabled predictive maintenance frameworks. Comparative evaluation highlights the distinct environmental, safety, and regulatory constraints shaping deployment strategies in agricultural and clinical contexts. Key research gaps are identified in explainable artificial intelligence, interoperability standards, cybersecurity resilience, distributed intelligence, and sustainable robotic lifecycle design. A forward-looking research roadmap outlines pathways toward fully autonomous, collaborative, and human-centric robotic ecosystems aligned with Industry 5.0 principles and global sustainability objectives. The chapter contributes a unified perspective that bridges sector-specific advancements while proposing scalable, resilient, and ethically grounded automation frameworks for next-generation agricultural and healthcare systems.