Technical Feasibility Study of Autonomous Field Robot‐Based on‐the‐go Assessment of Soil Nutrients Using Ion‐Sensitive Field‐Effect Transistors

Autonomous field robots for standard‐oriented, ISFET‐based soil nutrient analysis directly in the field represent a new approach to obtain rapid, spatially detailed, and reproducible nutrient assessments on‐site. Beyond their analytical capabilities, these systems can be embedded in complete digital agricultural frameworks. They address labor shortages by enabling cloud‐based automated fertilization recommendations and supporting AI‐driven plausibility checks and adaptive decision‐making processes. In combination with new advanced human–machine interaction concepts (HMI), such platforms allow effective collaboration between automated analysis systems and agricultural experts. This technical feasibility study presents an innovative automated system for soil nutrient analysis based on the autonomous field robot. The system is designed for standardized on‐site sampling and standard‐oriented analysis of key macronutrients: nitrate (NO ₃ ^– ), potassium (K ⁺ ), and phosphorus in the form of dihydrogen phosphate (H ₂ PO ₄ ^– ) and soil pH. It integrates different functional subsystems and laboratory‐grade extraction solutions into a modular design. A key innovation is the implementation of field robot‐assisted, standard‐oriented soil nutrient extraction methods for analysis using ion‐selective field‐effect transistor (ISFET) sensors. The developed system demonstrates the technical feasibility of on‐the‐go soil nutrient assessment under real field conditions and provides a basis for further validation and refinement toward its potential application in precision fertilization strategies.