At CES 2022, agricultural giant John Deere presented a fully autonomous tractor dubbed the Deere 8R. The start of a new revolution for the agricultural sector?
Autonomous plowing and sowing
For some years now, there have been autonomous tractors, but only for specific tasks; This is where the Deere 8R represents a real change. Equipped with six pairs of stereo cameras and an artificial intelligence allowing it to perceive its environment and to navigate, the machine thus relies on neural network algorithms to understand the information transmitted by its cameras.
In this way, he is able to find the way in a field on his own when given a route and coordinates, then plow the ground or sow seeds without instructions, while avoiding obstacles as he goes. to measure. The farmer can, for his part, give him orders remotely through a smartphone application and obtain real-time information on tractor activities.
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John Deere has been collecting the data necessary for autonomous tractor navigation for several years, using an approach similar to that of companies specializing in autonomous driving. The firm admits that the device may encounter some difficulties when the weather conditions are very bad, in the event of heavy rain or snow for example.
A revolution ?
The Deere 8R is slated for sale in the spring, while the tractor has been tested since 2019. Its launch is not surprising: the American company has been gradually incorporating autonomous technologies and AI into its products for several years, and has recently bought out Bear Flag Robotics, a firm specializing in autonomous driving technologies, for $ 250 million.
However, this tractor is considered a real revolution by Jahmy Hindman, Chief Technology Officer at Deere: “ It’s a monumental change. I think it’s just as important as the transition from horse to tractor », He affirms. Indeed, the firm believes that the Deere 8R will greatly optimize the work of farmers. By allowing them to leave the tractor to work alone, they will be able to tackle other tasks, as the sector faces ever-increasing demand and dwindling resources.
Not everyone is enthusiastic
Logically, the arrival of this tractor on the market raises several questions, reports Wired. The most obvious is the replacement of humans by machines, but also that of the farmer’s loss of control over his equipment by making him more dependent on John Deere, especially in terms of repairs and dependence on an application to perform certain tasks.
In addition, the system will collect soil data during its operations and use it to refine its algorithms, improve its performance and give farmers advice on how to best work their land. It is precisely this way of doing things that appeals to Christopher Kitts, professor leading a field robotics program at the University of Santa Clara. According to him, Deere could take the opportunity to charge farmers who want to have access to this data, and this could also curb competition with its rivals.
For now, the firm has not disclosed the price of the Deere 8R. However, it seems clear that its launch will mark a new era in agriculture which, like other sectors, incorporates new technologies as they emerge. However, it is still difficult to determine what the impact will be on the workforce in general.