Deere Unveils Fully Autonomous Tractor at CES

When it comes to technological breakthroughs and innovation, farming equipment giant John Deere might not be the first name that comes to mind. But at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Deere made one of the splashiest announcements of the event: unveiling the first fully autonomous tractor for large scale farming production that it plans to sell later this year. Deere has yet to set the tractor’s price.

Deere’s 8R is currently capable of tillage operation only. The company said that the tractor can be driven by farmers for other tasks and could eventually work fully autonomously with planters, herbicide sprayers and other farm equipment.

It builds on 20 years of technology. Tractors have been self-driving for a while for more consistent tilling, straighter and more accurate planting leading to better harvests and higher efficiencies. But these tractors still needed a farmer sitting in the driver’s seat even if they weren’t touching the wheel most of the time.

Deere’s fully autonomous tractor finally releases the farmer from the cab. Farmers control the tractor from an app on their phone or computer and the tractor can position itself, drive the length of the field, turn around, maneuver around obstacles and come back for refueling all on its own using six pairs of cameras as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning. It also features redundant braking and steering systems for an added layer of safety.

The images are fed to the onboard computer, where a convolutional neural network—an advanced form of AI that analyzes images—classifies pixels in milliseconds, identifies objects in the tractor’s path, and determines whether the tractor should remain on course, steer around an obstacle, or stop.

Instead of having to sit in a tractor for eight to 12 hours a day, a farmer has time to work on the projects that often get overlooked when they have to focus on the tactical parts of farming exclusively. Deere hopes the tractor will shorten the long list of duties farmers have on a daily basis. And while Deere has its eyes on a tractor that can do everything from planting to harvesting, this model can only prepare the fields via tillage. 

At CES, Deere emphasized how the tractor will collect data about the soil on every pass of tillage, creating a digital footprint of the farm. And because the autonomous tractor can run longer and harder than a human could, the data collection will be higher than could be achieved before. Farmers will have access to all this data at their fingertips on the smartphone and Deere has encrypted it on both sides to ensure privacy of a farmer's business.

The application of the technology to larger vehicles is just getting started and promises to be highly consequential, according to Aron Cory, research manager for world-wide agriculture at International Data Corp. “The move from conventional tractors to autonomous tractors is going to be comparable from the move from horses to the combustion engine,” he said. The machines should be able to work around the clock, allowing for more efficient use of labor; better application of seeding, fertilizer and other inputs; and lead to higher yields and lower ecological impact, according to Cory.

There are still hurdles to overcome before autonomous tractors become widely adopted. Farm equipment manufacturers need to prove to farmers that the devices can operate safely and that they aren’t vulnerable to cyber threats, according to IDC’s Cory. Deere said it has a full-time team dedicated to maintaining the security of its machines and farmers’ data.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

It’s easy to envision just how radically this new technology could change the life and management style of farmers/ranchers in the future. Freeing them from the mundane task of driving a tractor, providing more data, and increasing the work time of equipment would by itself be a dramatic change. Imagining a more strategic use of the farmer/rancher’s time, versus the current tactical requirements, could be the most monumental and operational altering impact of the new technology. One could get carried away with the potential “what if” scenarios that are potentially on the horizon as a result of this new advancement in agriculture.

If anyone says farmers/ranchers are not on the forefront of technology, they are sadly misinformed. You might want to share this development with the general public in your area. It demonstrates your interest and understanding of agriculture and lets them know what’s new down on the farm/ranch!