# Assessment of Smart Mechatronics Applications in Agriculture: A Review
## 2 Literature Review  
Agriculture is one of the oldest industries, dating as far back as the nomadic age originally, when it depended solely on human effort. Draft animals were brought into use later, and then came mechanical advances, such as diesel/steam-engine tractors and mechanical tools with hydrostatic power. This modernization process is often mistakenly thought to benefit only industrialized countries with highly mechanized agriculture, but there has also been some mechanization of agriculture in developing countries, such as Ethiopia, Egypt, and Afghanistan (Figure 1), which do not have smart mechatronics systems. However, in most current agriculture, mechanization systems are not fully automated. Lack of automation, e.g., mechatronics systems, is a concern that needs to be addressed, particularly in developing countries, to increase the production capacity of their numerous small- and medium-sized farms, and even large-scale farms. Before more advanced automation (optimized) can be carried out in the future, it is important to gain an overview of existing mechatronics applications in the agriculture sector [17; 18; 19; 20]. Scientific and technological developments have considerably advanced agricultural production, particularly in \"smart agriculture\" (precision agriculture). The use of mechatronics (automation and artificial intelligence) in agriculture is growing. In addition, modern mechatronics practices and goods now differ greatly from those of a few decades ago. In particular, modern products and processes being developed adopt a multidisciplinary perspective and target integration, sophistication, robustness, intelligence, and feedback. As a result, the term \"mechatronics\" was created from the words \"mechanism\", \"computer\", \"control theory\", and \"electronics\" [21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26]. The main goal of smart mechatronics systems is to optimize the application of farm inputs under changing field conditions. They can be used to observe and record various information via communication technology (satellite, GPS, GIS, sensors, electronic systems, computer, camera), identify differences in crops or animals, and apply decision-making information to manage the agricultural components (soil, water, farm inputs, microclimate, environment, machinery, and machinery-related parameters) to achieve optimal and sustainable crop and livestock production. Precision agriculture is essentially about monitoring, measuring, and responding to intra- and intra-farm variation. It involves the management of a field despite adverse conditions with the aim of increasing production, and thereby the profitability of crop or livestock production, without causing soil degradation. The aim of smart agriculture is not to achieve the same production everywhere but rather to direct the precise input needed to achieve site-specific returns that increase long-term revenue for that site with minimal input. Precision agriculture can be seen as an observation, impact assessment, and timely strategic response to subtle variations in the causal components of agricultural production. It can be used on different types of farms and can be applied to the pre- and post-production aspects of a farm. Consequently, precision agriculture is divided into eight categories based on its specific applications [27; 28; 29; 30]. These are:  
Figure 1: Annual wheat production in the top thirty wheat-producing countries worldwide partially automated system in 2023 [3]. Guidance systems: This allows the exact direction of operations within the field and helps to avoid overlapping application zones. Precise seeding: This gives a consistent number of seeds sown, accurate alignment of seeds (with constant spacing), and minimum variation in seeding density. Fertilizer application: The volume of fertilizer applied can be adjusted to the real nutritional status inside the field. Plant protection: The amount of pesticides used (herbicide, fungicide, and insecticide) within a field can be varied according to crop requirements.