ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 11 NOVEMBER 2022 continued on page 12 Some [farmers] are keen to try the latest advances, while others want to wait until the tool in question has proven itself. For Your Field, Your Farm. PERFORMANCE True maizex.com Maizex_OntGrainFarmer_Soy_3.46x8.865_9_22.indd 1 9/8/22 1:05 PM initiation while operating. With artificial intelligence, Raven's perception controller processes the continuous stream of images, which interprets and detects obstacles." RAVEN, NEXAT, AND OTHERS Raven's driverless, multi-implement compatible OMNiPOWER platform (once known as Dot) has received significant attention in recent years. The first one in Ontario arrived at Bothwell-area elevator and agservice provider Haggerty Creek Ltd. in the spring of 2020 and has since been tested, augmented, and refined through cooperation with the manufacturer. Raven incorporated improvements into a second-generation design — the OMNiPOWER 3200, released in spring 2022 — including more powerful engines and hydraulic systems for better operational speed and ground contact and a more serviceable design for in-field repairs. Raven, too, has invested in bolt-on autonomy systems in addition to stand-alone machines. The company's OMNiDRIVE harvest application allows combine operators to control and operate an autonomous grain cart tractor, removing the necessity of having a second driver. Many other companies are making inroads in the large autonomous machinery space. German ag-tech developer NEXAT is one, with its all-in-one autonomous platform designed to address compaction, labour, and various other crop production issues. The system is a gantry-style design — a wide implement area bookended by wheels or tracks — following a multi-implement capability similar to the OMNiPOWER platform. However, the NEXAT design retains an operating cab. It has drawn a lot of attention in Europe — particularly for large-scale operational trials in Ukraine. However, the company has shifted to North American trials due to the ongoing war. MIXED RECEPTION TO AUTONOMY These technologies are just a selection of higher-profile examples in a rapidly changing market. Innumerable smaller companies are also entering the fray, with designs ranging from very small and multipurpose to large and task-specific. For Ian Siertsema, technology solutions manager for Roberts Farm Equipment, advances in guidance capability appear to be an ongoing focus for a wide swath of equipment manufacturers, citing Raven
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