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Call for Papers – Special Issue: Frontier Technological Innovation and Industrial Application of Agricultural Robots
• With the deep integration of artificial intelligence, big data, precision control, and other technologies into agriculture, smart agriculture has become the core engine driving the modernization, transformation, and upgrading of the agricultural sector. As the key execution platform of smart agriculture, agricultural robots are being applied at scale in scenarios such as farmland tillage, crop protection, harvesting, facility management, and livestock and poultry farming, significantly improving agricultural production efficiency, resource utilization efficiency, and the quality and safety of agricultural products. They represent a critical pathway to addressing the challenge of "who will farm and how to farm well". To report the latest research progress in the R&D and application of related technologies, this journal has planned a special issue on "Frontier Technological Innovation and Industrial Application of Agricultural Robots", aiming to explore and exchange the latest achievements in fundamental theoretical innovations, key technologies and equipment R&D, and application model exploration in this field. The special issue is scheduled for publication in Issue 4, 2026 (published on July 31). We have specially invited Professor Yongjun Zheng of China Agricultural University and Professor Feng Kang of Beijing Forestry University to serve as the guest editors. We welcome contributions from experts, scholars, and researchers in related fields.
  I. Scope of Submissions
  This special issue focuses on original research papers and reviews related to frontier technological innovations and industrial applications of agricultural robots (including but not limited to the following directions):
  1. Frontier Technologies for Agricultural Robot Perception and Navigation (multi-modal sensor fusion perception, centimeter-level positioning and navigation, dynamic modeling of complex farmland environments, obstacle avoidance technologies, etc.)
  2. Innovations in Agricultural Robot Mechanism Design and Intelligent Control (lightweight modular mechanism optimization design, adaptive precision control, human-robot collaborative decision-making and control technologies, etc.)
  3. Key Technological Breakthroughs in Core Components of Agricultural Robots (high-performance end-effectors, high-precision drive and transmission systems, specialized intelligent sensor R&D, etc.)
  4. Fusion Innovation of Agricultural Robots with Emerging Technologies (AI-driven operational decision-making, digital twin-enabled robot operations and maintenance, 5G + agricultural robot collaborative applications, etc.)
  5. Technological Innovation and Equipment R&D for Agricultural Robots in Specific Scenarios (specialized robot R&D and optimization for intelligent plant protection, efficient harvesting, facility management, and livestock and poultry farming)
  6. Key Technologies for Industrial Application of Agricultural Robots (large-scale adaptation technologies, full-lifecycle operations and maintenance services, performance testing and evaluation system construction)
  7. Research on Development Mechanisms and Policies for the Agricultural Robot Industry (industrialization pathway optimization, industry chain collaborative innovation, standard system construction, and policy support)
  8. Case Studies on Industrial Application of Frontier Agricultural Robot Technologies (application practices in typical regions/scenarios, benefit assessment, and technology promotion models)
  II. Submission Requirements
  1. Submissions must be unpublished review/research papers, written in either Chinese or English, within the scope of this special issue. They should present clear viewpoints, substantial supporting data, accurate results, sound reasoning, and standardized formatting.
  2. The manuscript should include: titles, author information, abstracts, keywords, funding information, main text, references, and editable figures and tables. Manuscripts should be no less than 8,000 words and submitted as Word documents.
  3. Online submission: http://www.smartag.net.cn/Journalx_zhny/authorLogOn.action
  III. Important Dates
  Scheduled Issue: 2026 Issue 04
  Submission Deadline: June 15, 2026
  IV. Guest Editors
  
   
  Professor Yongjun Zheng
  Yongjun Zheng is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at China Agricultural University, with long-term research experience in agricultural robot perception and control, precision agriculture equipment and technologies, and related fields. He has led multiple national-level research projects including the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Key Research and Development Program. He has achieved numerous accomplishments in frontier technological innovations and applications in areas such as intelligent operations of agricultural equipment, multi-modal detection and positioning navigation of agricultural robots, and low-altitude technology and UAV applications.
  
   
  Professor Feng Kang
  Feng Kang is a Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Beijing Forestry University, Deputy Dean of the Graduate School, and the disciplinary leader of Forestry Equipment and Informatization at the College of Engineering. His research focuses on forestry and agricultural equipment R&D and intelligent technologies, as well as forestry and industrial robots. He has led multiple research projects including the National Natural Science Foundation of China and national and provincial key R&D programs. He has achieved numerous accomplishments in orchard intelligent operation equipment, crop phenotyping technologies, and AI-empowered decision-making.
  V. About Smart Agriculture (Chinese & English)
  Smart Agriculture (Chinese & English) is a bilingual agricultural journal supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and sponsored by the Agricultural Information Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, with Academician Chunjiang Zhao of the Chinese Academy of Engineering serving as the Editor-in-Chief. The journal focuses on agricultural information technology, publishing and disseminating the latest domestic and international research findings to build a high-level academic exchange platform. The journal has been recognized as a "Chinese Science Citation Database (CSCD) Core Journal", a "China Science and Technology Core Journal", a "Chinese Core Agricultural Journal (A)", and a T2-level journal in the CAST High-Quality Journal Classification Directory. It is indexed in more than a dozen international databases including Scopus, DOAJ, EBSCO, CABI, INSPEC, and J-Gate.
  VI. Contact Information
  1. Guest Editor Contacts:
  Professor Yongjun Zheng
  Tel: 010-62736385
  Email: zyj@cau.edu.cn
  Professor Feng Kang
  Tel: 010-62336137-709
  Email: kangfeng98@bjfu.edu.cn
  2. Editorial Office Contact:
  Tel: 010-82109657
  Email: smartag@caas.cn
  Journal Website: http://www.smartag.net.cn/
  
  
Pubdate： 2026-01-26    Viewed： 10