The most dangerous jobs in New Zealand's manufacturing and primary industries could soon be done by robots.

Experts from Lincoln Agritech and Scion and almost all of our universities are working together to develop robots for the sectors over the next two years.

Lincoln Agritech Manager Dr Armin Werner said the technology will use sensors and cameras to measure distances and understand surroundings.

He said the robots will need to do adapt to different hazards for industries like forestry.

"Flexibility and the artificial intelligence so this robot can do it in kind of steep country situations, any type of trees, any type of different arrangements of trees, ages of trees."

Werner said the robots will help workers do tasks in a faster and safer way and cut costs.

He said they've had a lot of encouragement from the likes of the horticulture sector.

"Picking apples, picking kiwifruits, this is an industry where we don't talk about replacing people with robots, we are trying hard to find people at all doing this type of work."