Toward 6G-Empowered Multi-Machine Collaboration in Smart Agriculture: A Communication-Control Co-Design Survey

Authors

  • Baofeng Ji Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Avenue, Luolong District, Luoyang 471023, Henan, China
  • Yangyang Li International Cooperation Center, National Development and Reform Commission, 7th Floor, 1 Baiyun Road, Xicheng District, Beijing 100045, China
  • Ran Zhang The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology, 24 Jinghua Road, Luoyang 471003, Henan, China
  • Saibing Wang Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Avenue, Luolong District, Luoyang 471023, Henan, China
  • Yifan Liu Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Avenue, Luolong District, Luoyang 471023, Henan, China
  • Wenjing Xu Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Avenue, Luolong District, Luoyang 471023, Henan, China
  • Kaipeng Sun Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Avenue, Luolong District, Luoyang 471023, Henan, China
  • Xin Zhang Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Avenue, Luolong District, Luoyang 471023, Henan, China
  • Du Cui Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Avenue, Luolong District, Luoyang 471023, Henan, China
  • Yanchao Guo First Tractor Company Limited, 39 Xiyuan Road, Jianxi District, Luoyang 471039, Henan, China
  • Peipei Wang China Electronics Space (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., 12th Floor, Ruichuang (China) Building, No. 4 Xinyuan, Hujialou, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, China
  • Song Chen First Tractor Company Limited, 39 Xiyuan Road, Jianxi District, Luoyang 471039, Henan, China
  • Jinguang Li First Tractor Company Limited, 39 Xiyuan Road, Jianxi District, Luoyang 471039, Henan, China
  • Zheng Tu China Electronics Space (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., 12th Floor, Ruichuang (China) Building, No. 4 Xinyuan, Hujialou, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, China
  • Shusheng Lü Chinese Academy of Agricultural Mechanization Sciences Group Co., Ltd., Beijing 100083, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/99gpx908

Keywords:

Smart agriculture, multi-machine collaboration, communication-control co-design, deterministic networking, integrated sensing and communication, edge intelligence, digital twin

Abstract

As communication and sensing capabilities grow, smart agriculture is shifting from single-machine automation to coordinated fleets. Cooperative harvesting, multi-UAV spraying, and fleet logistics demand bounded latency, reliability, and synchronized state that traditional best-effort networks cannot guarantee. Control algorithms validated under ideal communication assumptions degrade when deployed on real field networks with partial coverage and thin backhaul, and this gap cannot be closed by a faster network or a smarter controller alone. Taking as its organizing line that the network deadline and the controller deadline must be treated as one design surface, this review systematically surveys the communication-control co-design of multi-machine collaboration in smart agriculture, covering the joint engineering of deterministic communication, integrated sensing and communication, edge intelligence, and distributed control. We organize the literature around four pillars: deterministic networks, multi-agent coordination, co-design substrates, and enablers. Stability-region analysis already bounds control cost as a function of communication parameters, whereas integrated sensing and digital twins remain at the architecture stage, lacking quantitative validation in agricultural scenarios. It follows that standardization, rural coverage, and safety are constraints that fix the co-design operating point rather than afterthoughts.

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Published

13-07-2026

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Academic Journal of Applied Sciences

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Ji, B., Li, Y., Zhang, R., Wang, S., Liu, Y., Xu, W., Sun, K., Zhang, X., Cui, D., Guo, Y., Wang, P., Chen, S., Li, J., Tu, Z., & Lü, S. (2026). Toward 6G-Empowered Multi-Machine Collaboration in Smart Agriculture: A Communication-Control Co-Design Survey. Academic Journal of Applied Sciences, 2(2), 55-70. https://doi.org/10.54097/99gpx908