Agricultural equipment giant John Deere has just launched its first self-driving tractor, with this modern vehicle, farmers can control it by smartphone without being physically present and it can run 24h/day.
The company revealed details of the smart 8R car at the CES event, but earlier in 2019, a number of US farmers were selected to try the car. It was touted as a means to both feed the world and solve the shortage of personnel.
The vehicle is equipped with 6 cameras that provide 360-degree vision and built-in artificial intelligence, allowing to check the position and move accurately to every inch, capable of stopping if it detects objects or people something on the way.
While it may seem like an unexpected breakthrough, the agricultural industry is said to have made more consistent advances in autonomous vehicle technology than automakers, mainly due to the simplicity and safety of the vehicle. mission.
While plowing or sowing seeds in a field is certainly a daunting task, requiring the farmer to navigate the path precisely while operating complex equipment, the driving part is relatively simple: the operator control to follow a predetermined line without worrying about pedestrians or other road users.
As a result, companies like John Deere have been able to automate many aspects of agricultural driving for decades. Mostly, they provide autopilot systems that use GPS to locate and guide tractors and tractors. Farmers first map the boundaries of their fields, often using beacons or by driving around the perimeter and then the software plots a route. The driver – sitting in the cabin – can then monitor the road and correct it if needed.
From past experiences, John Deere has created this autonomous, driverless car.
Deanna Kovar, vice president of John Deere, says: “All farmers need to do is transport their vehicle to the field, get it ready, get out of the car and use their mobile phone to ‘swipe to plow’. And every eight hours, they come back to supply fuel and move it from field to field.”
Although it is an automatic system, there are still people involved in the operation of the vehicle, not just farmers observing via phone. When the company’s algorithm detects a foreign object, the image from the camera is sent to a “remote operator,” essentially a third-party contractor’s hub, who immediately checks it. Is the obstacle vehicle a false message or can it resolve itself (for example, an animal will run away).
If it’s a real problem, they will notify the people through an alert on the smartphone app. The farmer can then view the images for himself and make a decision.
“We trained the algorithm so it knows the birds will fly away, no need to stop for the birds. But if there’s a dog in the field, for example, we’ll stop.”, Kovar said. “We don’t want to have to warn the farmer all the time because it could be two o’clock in the morning. Part of the value of autonomy is allowing farmers to focus on other tasks.”
Of course, driving a tractor is more than simply overcoming obstacles, farmers also have to check that their equipment is working and adjust it to changes in the environment. Kovar says the company’s software can monitor some things, such as checking if individual tillage tools are still working, but there are bound to be other problems.
Currently, John Deere is focusing 8R on tillage – preparing the soil for planting, by turning the soil, removing crop residue, or plowing to return nutrients to the soil. This is work usually done around harvest time, which means farmers can put it aside for more pressing tasks. That makes it the perfect target for automation.
Autonomous 8R Tractor | John Deere Precision Ag
In addition to selling the smart, pre-tuned 8R, John Deere says automated tilling cameras and computers can be installed on an existing tractor in as little as a day.
The company will deliver a maximum of 20 units this year, with an expansion rollout in the coming years – but has yet to decide whether to sell directly, to lease or offer as a subscription. The price has yet to be announced. However, John Deere is still controversial about the right to repair. Deere has been heavily criticized for preventing farmers from fixing their own machines, and adding more intelligent capabilities to vehicles would make farmers even more uncomfortable.
Reference: TheVerge
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