Deere Starts Selling Autonomous Tractors, Farming Now Becomes Easier

The autonomous transporter will make the work of the farm easier. (photo credit: deere.com)

JAKARTA - John Deere & Co. on Tuesday, January 4, stated that it will this year start commercial deliveries of automatic tractors for cultivating fields and farming without an operator in the cabin. This is the first technology for North America's top tractor manufacturer after years of trying to automate farm work.

Jahmy Hindman, Deere's chief technology officer, told Reuters that Deere is planning a low-volume rollout this year featuring the system for 12 to 20 engines, and then upgrading.

The company is also considering whether to sell the technology, rent it out, or offer it to farmers in subscription plans that allow for upgrades as hardware and software evolve.

"Cameras and computers for automated farming can be installed on existing tractors and cultivators in a day," Hindman said.

Deere and other heavy equipment makers such as Caterpillar have invested heavily in technology to automate off-road vehicles such as farm tractors and mining machinery.

In the agricultural sector, finding workers to operate tractors is a chronic problem exacerbated by the pandemic. Many workers are not interested in taking jobs in the sector.

For the farm equipment industry, Deere's commercial launch is an important step in a journey that has spanned nearly two decades. The journey begins with the use of satellite positioning and then hands-free operation with the driver still in the cab.

According to Hindman, Deere has been testing fully autonomous tractors for three to four years. They made sure they were ready to jump right into the business this year.

This automatic tractor is much safer because it doesn't have to be in direct contact with pedestrians on the street. In contrast to autonomous cars that run in urban traffic and have to deal with road safety regulations.

But Hindman says that self-driving tractors must be able to navigate accurately, avoid obstacles and precisely control equipment such as carefully.

Deere's early automatic tractors would use stereo cameras at the front and rear, and could send images of what the camera saw via a phone app to farmers or equipment operators. The operator can take the tractor to the field, with a swipe of the phone screen and the engine will start on the programmed path.

The tractor's computerized vision system monitors the planting process and is capable of planting into the soil. If one of the shanks hits a rock and flips over, the change in reflection from the mirror will be visible to the remote operator.

According to Hindman, Deere is also working on automating other farming operations, such as crop spraying which may be the next target to automate.