The unveiling of our new autonomous concept vehicle (ACV) during Farm Progress Show created quite a buzz around the show grounds — make that around the country and around the world. We’re even more excited to begin gathering your input and feedback about the vehicle’s potential to deliver greater production efficiencies to your farm.
If you’re interested in sharing your thoughts, please take our survey — and keep reading to learn a little more about the concept tractor. We hope to answer some of your questions.
Design
The concept tractor brings together the latest in guidance, telemetry, data sharing and agronomic management to give you more control, monitoring capabilities and cost savings.
[Tweet “We want to hear from you! Tell us what you think about our autonomous concept vehicle. Via @Case_IH”]We based the cabless autonomous concept on an existing Case IH Magnum™ tractor with reimagined styling. The vehicle was built for a fully interactive interface so you could remotely monitor preprogrammed operations and modify machine tasks in real time.
The technology could function just as well in a standard cabbed tractor — go fully autonomous or choose a tractor with traditional driving capabilities and automation.
How it works
The onboard system automatically accounts for implement widths and plots the most efficient paths depending on the terrain, obstructions and other machines in use in the same field. The remote operator can supervise and adjust pathways via a desktop computer or portable tablet interface.
Through the use of radar, LiDAR (light imaging, detection and ranging) and onboard video cameras, the vehicle can sense stationary or moving obstacles in its path and will stop on its own. Depending on the obstacle and location, the ACV would then notify you via audio and visual alerts. Once you assign a new path, the tractor gets back to work. The vehicle also will stop immediately if GPS signal or position data is lost or via a manual stop button.
Practical application
The ACV demonstrates how you and your employees could remotely monitor and control machines directly. This technology will give you greater operational efficiencies for tasks from tillage to planting and from spraying to harvesting.
You can supervise the activities of multiple machines via a mobile tablet interface while you tend to other tasks or even operate another vehicle.
Multiple autonomous tractors can work as one fleet or simultaneously in multiple subfleets assigned to separate fields and with separate preprogrammed maps and prescriptions. You could have one tractor pulling a Tiger-Mate® 255 field cultivator followed closely by another one operating a 2000 series Early Riser® planter, creating the ultimate High-Efficiency Farming operation.
Consider the weather advantages: The ACV could use real-time weather and satellite data to optimally apply crop inputs such as nitrogen, herbicides or fungicides. If it starts to rain in one field, the tractor would automatically stop what it’s doing and head over to another field that is dry, provided it can access that field via private roads. When it comes to potential production efficiencies, we’re just pulling into the field.
See the ACV in person at Husker Harvest Days
If you couldn’t make it to the Farm Progress Show, you can get an up-close look at the ACV during Husker Harvest Days, Sept. 13 to 15, in Grand Island, Nebraska. Show hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday.
We want to hear from you
Now that we’ve validated the technology, we’re excited to learn more through your questions, comments and feedback. What do you think about the concept tractor? Do you see potential for it on your farm? What is your interest in, or need for, future autonomous products operations? Please take this survey and share your thoughts. We look forward to hearing from you!
LEARN MORE HERE
Video: Case IH Autonomous Concept Vehicle
I agree with taking advantage and using new technology to reduce ag production costs.
So how is this supposed to trave from farm to farm via road travel? Radar and lidar won’t be much help there
This is very exciting technology. I’ve read lots of negative posts about this machine. It’s very sad and frustrating these people are so close minded. I help my dad farm(I have an outside job) but see the potential of this machine. I am in the automotive field and already have worked with some of these technologies. Unfortunately people are scared of the unknowns, we’ve utilized some of these technologies for some time now and most people have no clue they exist. Though we probably will never afford this, it is exciting to see the future of agriculture at its finest! Thank you CaseIH!
I like the idea, or better yet the show of technology out there today for Ag to use. I don’t see allot of applications for this in my operation, with the exception of sugarbeet harvest. An autonomous tractor would work great as the topper tractor, as it could be controlled by the harvester operator through a shift.
This is the tractor all farmers of today have been looking for, it’s what we all say at the local pub, be good when a tractor drives itself, no one likes driving tractors for hours on end. This would be well suited on our farm as we are on big tree less plains paddocks. With unrealible workman and inexperienced backpackers, every year is so hard and with expensive human error. I also believe it would be more efficient, one man can run a number of autonomous tractors. Resulting in cheaper labour
Thankyou regards
Stafford Burey , Moree NSW 2400
I think it’s a good idea and concept turned into reality but does the computer fix the tool you’re pulling with it. I’ve never been able to run a piece of equipment all day without stopping to work on it all day.
I missed the show in Grand Island,NE. Can you tell me when and where the next show is scheduled ?
I’m all for the efficiency for sure, but really in the long run it saddens me to think how lazy society has become, I guess it’s inevitable really, control your whole life from your easy chair, lol.