At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), in Las Vegas, John Deere revealed a series of new autonomous machines.
The second generation of autonomous kit combines advanced computer vision, artificial intelligence and camera systems to help units navigate their environments.
Machines have been designed for agriculture, construction and commercial landscaping, with each industry struggling to find skilled labour.
“Our agriculture, construction, and commercial landscaping customers all have work that must get done at certain times of the day andyear, yet there is not enough available and skilled labor to do the work,” said Jahmy Hindman, chief technology officer at John Deere.
“Autonomy can help address this challenge. That’s why we’re extending our technology stack to enable more machines to operate safely and autonomously in unique and complex environments. This will not only benefit our customers, but all of us who rely on them to provide the food, fuel, fiber, infrastructure, and landscaping care that we depend on every day.”
Agriculture
Updates to the agricultural portfolio include a new version of the autonomous 9RX, which now includes 16 cameras arranged in pods for 360deg visibility across the field.
The updated technology is also said to calculate depth more accurately at larger distances, enabling the tractor to pull more equipment and drive faster.
An autonomous version of the 5ML tractor was also announced, designed for air blast spraying. This uses Lidar sensors to monitor the canopies in orchards and maintain a line of operation.
Finally, the company highlighted a prototype of its E-Power battery-powered tractor range, which is autonomy-ready and produces zero emissions.
It has been designed for dairy and specialist crop operations, delivering a constant output of 130hp, as well as instant torque to work in demanding conditions.
Landscaping and construction
Outside of agriculture, the company launched an autonomous, battery-powered mower for landscaping operations, which uses the same camera technology as other autonomous units.
The number of cameras has been reduced, due to the smaller size of the machine, with two cameras at the front and rear, and two cameras to the left and right.
In construction, the company has developed the 460 P-Tier Autonomous Articulated Dump Truck (ADT) for quarry operations, enabling businesses to automate repetitive hauling tasks around the site.
The John Deere autonomy kit will be available pre-installed or as a retrofit option on certain machines, enabling new and existing customers to move into autonomy.
Each unit can be controlled via the John Deere Operations Center. For more information go to www.deere.co.uk
