Field Deployment of Robotic Systems for Agriculture in Light of Key Safety, Labor, Ethics and Legislation Issues

Purpose of Review To summarize the state of the art of robotic systems in agriculture through the prism of a wide range of reflections associated with health, safety, ethics, and legislation. Recent Findings Despite the rapid growth of robotic systems and the various potential economic and environmental benefits, there is a lack of clear safety standards and of a commonly accepted ethical code which may lead to possible controversy. Summary Robotic systems have found fertile ground in several applications, extending their previous role of carrying out only arduous non-cognitive and routine tasks. However, several questions have been posed related to ethical dilemmas as well as liability, privacy, personal data protection, and legislation aspects. We believe that a multidisciplinary cooperation and responsible culture can contribute to silhouette a pluralist conception which will facilitate its adoption.