Unitree Go2 Quadruped Robot in Precision Agriculture: Potential Applications and Research Opportunities

Abstract

Precision agriculture requires information about crops and their environment to guide management decisions. In this context, quadruped robots represent a research alternative for acquiring data from a ground-level, near-plant perspective. The objective of this work is to analyze the potential applications and research opportunities of the Unitree Go2 robot in agricultural environments, considering its technical specifications, limitations, and adaptation requirements. An exploratory literature review and a comparative technical analysis are presented, linking background research in agricultural robotics, manufacturer specifications, and productive task requirements. The information is organized using a matrix of applications, instrumentation, potential outputs, and validation criteria. Likewise, the possibilities of ground-based observation are conceptually compared with aerial photogrammetry and LiDAR. The analysis identifies four areas of opportunity: crop monitoring and characterization, environmental and soil characterization, irrigation and infrastructure inspection, and spatial information generation. The LiDAR and camera serve as key resources to investigate plant detection, row identification, dimension estimation, and incidence documentation. However, phytosanitary diagnosis and specific soil measurements require additional instrumentation and procedures. The main challenges include energy autonomy, stability during data acquisition, sensor integration, occlusions, localization, and measurement repeatability. It is proposed to complement aerial surveys with targeted ground routes toward areas of interest. It is concluded that the agricultural relevance of the Go2 must be determined based on equipment configuration, operating conditions, and the agronomic utility of the data. The study provides a research agenda without presenting experimental validation and proposes progressive evaluations—including reference measurements and comparisons against wheeled platforms and manual procedures—to establish its advantages, constraints, and application conditions.