On the Interplay Between 5G, Mobile Edge Computing and Robotics in Smart Agriculture Scenarios

The relentless growth of the human population over the time is driving an exceptional rise in food demand. Improving the efficiency of farming processes is the only way to face the so called Malthusian catastrophe. This objective could be pursued by automating production processes in farms. Robots can play a key role in this context, especially when they can execute tasks on collaborative basis. At the same time, low latency communication capabilities are required to translate in reality the robotic-aided smart agriculture vision. This contribution explores the interplay of 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) as enabling drivers for technology spread in the agriculture domain, based on Industry 4.0 principles. In particular, some key performance indicators have been investigated for a rural-area scenario, exploring different technological configurations.