10 AUTONOMY AND ARTIFICIAL intelligence (AI) are advancing in leaps and bounds, and farm machinery manufacturers of all sizes are trying to seize the opportunity. However, approaches differ, bringing different capabilities and physical characteristics to stand-alone machines and retrofit solutions. JOHN DEERE INVESTING IN AUTONOMY John Deere continues to draw attention for its evolving line of autonomous machines, including the 8R tractor series, released earlier in 2022. Graham Burton, integrated solutions manager for Premier Equipment, says the traditional cabbed tractor design of the autonomous 8R line is an attractive feature since it allows for manual and driverless operation. "Autonomy is essentially a feature. We can still drive it to the field, which is great from a liability standpoint," he says, adding the machine could prove particularly valuable to custom farm service providers and potentially those with limited labour resources. Burton believes the 8R series and other similar autonomously-capable designs have potential in the Ontario marketplace. However, continued field demonstrations will be important since the tasks which the 8R could practically complete will be implement-specific (John Deere originally released the 8R with a focus on tillage). Implement technology and tractor technology, Autonomous equipment roundup WHAT'S NEW – AND WHAT DO FARMERS THINK? Matt McIntosh JOHN DEERE 8R AUTONOMOUS TRACTOR. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN DEERE. that is, are both at play, and Burton says systems on both should complement each other to ensure the effective detection of obstacles, for example. The 8R series is far from the only autonomous, AI-focused initiative from John Deere. Indeed, the company has stated it wants to bring autonomy to the broader agriculture sector as soon as possible via tractor retrofit kits — in addition to its separate tractor lines, which are autonomous out-ofthe-box. To achieve this goal more quickly, John Deere acquired California-based agtech company Bear Flag Robotics for $250 million USD in 2021. Other major farm equipment manufacturers have also pursued autonomous designs, including New Holland's NH — a design similar to the green 8R series — and the cabless Case IH autonomous tractor, both released in 2016. Regarding the latter, mixed reviews about cabless designs contributed to a later decision to re-incorporate an operator cab. Case IH and Raven Industries recently partnered to develop an autonomous spreader. The Case IH Trident 5550 applicator was unveiled at Farm Progress Show 2022, being marketed as another answer to labour challenges and the need for higher productivity. A joint press release from the companies describes the machine as combining "proven driverless technology with an agronomically designed spreading platform for a flexible autonomous solution." From a mobile device, reads the press release, operators can "plan and complete an entire field operation based on mapped field boundaries. The Raven Autonomy perception system, through a series of advanced cameras and radar system, is constantly sensing a 360-degree environment around the machine for obstacles and motion Agronomy
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