Abstract:Hilly and mountainous areas play a crucial role in China’s agricultural production. However, the low level of comprehensive mechanization for crop cultivation, planting, and harvesting in these regions severely hampers the modernization of agriculture. The complex terrain and diverse cropping patterns in hilly areas necessitate the development of specialized agricultural machinery and robots tailored to these unique landscapes. To advance this process, the Chinese government has introduced a series of policies in recent years to support the research and development of agricultural machinery for hilly regions, providing strong backing for the advancement of agricultural technology in these areas. Against this backdrop, this paper presents the current status and progress of agricultural machinery for hilly regions, both domestically and internationally. It focuses on exploring the application of intelligent technologies, including smart navigation, perception algorithms, and agricultural information models (AIM) in hillside agriculture and proposes strategies for smart farming in these areas. Through preliminary explorations of embodied intelligence technologies, the potential of intelligent new technologies in reducing labor input and enhancing agricultural productivity is demonstrated. Finally, the insights into future development trends and recommendations are offered, including the promotion of farmland mechanization and the encouragement of high-tech applications in modern agriculture, to provide guidance for the modernization of agriculture in hilly and mountainous regions.