John Deere Unveils Autonomous Tractors That Can Be Controlled From A Phone

John Deere has just unveiled an autonomous tractor at CES 2022, and it doesn’t even a need a farmer in the seat. 

One of the first people who got to try this invention was Minnesota farmer Doug Nimz, who saw the tractor arrive on his 2,000-acre corn and soybean farm four years ago.

According to CNET, his farm served as “ground zero” for where the company’s engineers could test the tractor, make changes, and see it improve into its current iteration.

“It takes a while to get comfortable because… first of all, you’re just kind of amazed watching it,” recalled Nimz, who said he was initially a “little suspicious” of this never-before-seen technology. “When I actually saw it drive… I said, ‘Well, goll, this is really going to happen. This really will work.”

The invention is designed to be controlled by smartphone, via the existing Operation Center app, and can be used on both iPhones and Androids. Within the app, farmers simply have to swipe to start the tractor, and tap on a button to pause. 

The app will provide information on how much fuel is left in the tank and how long the tractor has been running for. It will even alert farmers to obstacles along the path, allowing them to zoom in on the video from any of the 12 cameras. To bring the tractor back for refueling, one simply has to direct it to head back to a pre-selected destination.

While autonomous cars are becoming part of the mainstream, out in the farmland, many farmers are struggling with the lack of younger workers willing to carry out the back-breaking tasks.

Having self-driving vehicles, such as John Deere’s new invention, could help ensure crops still get grown despite fewer workers. 

Julian Sanchez, the company’s Director of Emerging Technology, told Marketplace that the tractor can till an entire field alone with no one in the driver’s seat. 

“Essentially, you sort of put it out in the field, put it in autonomous mode and only worry about it when the job is done. It’s basically a relief of labor pressure,” Sanchez explained. 

However, John Deere’s tractor isn’t the only autonomous offering in the business. In 2020, Monarch launched the first fully electric smart tractor, and it doesn’t require a driver in the seat either, as per iVT International.

[via CNET and Marketplace, cover image Deere & Co/PR Newswire]