The world’s largest farm equipment maker, Deere and Co., said on Tuesday it will begin sales later this year of a “fully autonomous tractor that’s ready for large-scale production,” but limited for the moment to tillage.
“The machine combines Deere’s 8R tractor, TruSet-enabled chisel plow, GPS guidance system, and new advanced technologies,” said Deere, which unveiled the autonomous tractor at a consumer technology show in Las Vegas.
Deere, who is based in western Illinois said that the tractor would increase productivity as well as overcome any shortages in skilled labor. The autonomous tractor uses 12 stereo camera to identify obstacles and a “deep neural network” to decide whether to stop or continue movement. GPS technology ensures that the tractor stays within the field boundaries and allows for precise movement down to the inch.
“To use the autonomous tractor, farmers only need to transport the machine to a field and configure it for autonomous operation,” said a company release. “Using John Deere Operations Center Mobile, they can swipe from left to right to start the machine. While the machine is working the farmer can leave the field to focus on other tasks, while monitoring the machine’s status from their mobile device.”
Deere didn’t list the price of the tractor, chisel plough or autonomous equipment. The 8R series tractor models range in horsepower from 230 to 405 horsepower and are available at retail prices ranging from $166,000 up to $267,000.
“Deere’s fully autonomous tractor has been tested on farms in the Midwest and many farmers are already accustomed to riding in tractors with assisted features,” said Fierce Electronics in a review. “The adjustment to full autonomy could be routine.”
Source: Successful Farming
