The autonomous tractor serves a specific purpose: feeding the world. The global population is expected to grow from about 8 billion to nearly 10 billion people by 2050, increasing the global food demand by 50%. Furthermore, farmers must feed this growing population with less available land and skilled labor, and work through the variables inherent in farming like changing weather conditions and climate, variations in soil quality, and the presence of weeds and pests. All of these factors impact a farmer’s ability to farm during the most critical times of the year.

The autonomous tractor has six pairs of stereo cameras, which enables 360-degree obstacle detection and the calculation of distance. Images captured by the cameras are passed through a deep neural network that classifies each pixel in approximately 100 milliseconds and determines if the machine continues to move or stops, depending on if an obstacle is detected. The autonomous tractor is also continuously checking its position relative to a geofence, ensuring it is operating where it is supposed to, and is within less than an inch of accuracy.

To use the autonomous tractor, farmers only need to transport the machine to a field and configure it for autonomous operation. Using John Deere Operations Center Mobile, they can swipe from left to right to start the machine. While the machine is working the farmer can leave the field to focus on other tasks, while monitoring the machine’s status from their mobile device.

John Deere Operations Center Mobile provides access to live video, images, data, and metrics and allows a farmer to adjust speed, depth, and more. In the event of any job quality anomalies or machine health issues, farmers will be notified remotely and can make adjustments to optimize the performance of the machine.

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John Deere is an Innovation Award honoree in two categories for its See & Spray technology. See & Spray is a technologically advanced robot for the agriculture industry that leverages computer vision and machine learning to detect the difference between plants and weeds and target the application of herbicide on the weeds. This plant-level management technology gives a machine the gift of vision, benefiting the farmer, the surrounding community, and the environment.

“The opportunity for technology in agriculture continues to inspire us to develop cutting-edge smart machines, systems, and solutions to treat each plant individually and support our customers. John Deere is at the forefront of innovation, and with technology like See & Spray, we’re helping our customers maximize sustainability, profitability, productivity, and visibility so they can focus on the important work of feeding a growing world population,”

said Jahmy Hindman, chief technology officer for John Deere.

See & Spray uses deep learning, cameras, and robotics to distinguish plants from weeds. The future of this technology is key to treating each plant individually, providing only and exactly what every single plant needs at the moment, making chemical usage more efficient, protecting the surrounding soil and plants, and producing healthier, more productive crops.

The Robotics category of the Innovation Awards highlights programmable or otherwise intelligent machines capable of performing specific tasks or replicating human movement or interactions. The Vehicle Intelligence & Transportation category highlights automotive and other transportation products and services that integrate technology into the driving or riding experience. Products are reviewed and scored by a panel of judges comprised of designers, engineers, and technology media. Products are also evaluated on their engineering and functionality, aesthetics, and design; and what makes the product unique and innovative. Those with the highest rating receive the “Best of Innovation” distinction.

The CES Innovation Awards are based upon descriptive materials submitted to the judges. CTA did not verify the accuracy of any submission or of any claims made and did not test the item to which the award was given.

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John Deere is a CES Innovation Award Honoree for its new X Series combines that are equipped with ActiveVision camera technology that helps farmers see inside the combine’s grain tank and observe tailings so they can monitor the condition of harvested grain, right down to individual kernels. This technology is fueled by proprietary algorithms and provides farmers with information to make critical decisions at the moment, and to gather data over time to inform future actions.

“John Deere is honored to receive this award as it highlights our ongoing commitment to agriculture, innovation, and technology. The award recognizes our efforts to build cutting-edge smart machines, systems, and solutions that unlock customer economic value through enhanced precision, automation, speed, and efficiency previously not possible.”

said Jahmy Hindman, chief technology officer for John Deere.

The X9 1100 is the largest John Deere X Series combine and helps farmers harvest faster without risking grain loss or quality. These machines can thresh, separate, and clean more bushels per hour—or harvest more acres per day—even under unpredictable conditions. Compared with previous models, the X9 1100 can harvest up to 70% more wheat per hour.

The artificial intelligence, computer vision, in-field machine-to-machine communication, integrated sensors, and self-driving capabilities included on the X Series help make this increased harvesting productivity possible. For example, the combine can automatically adjust itself to adapt to changing conditions to run at peak levels while helping farmers with in-the-moment decision making. The combines also monitor themselves and enable farmers and John Deere service technicians to manage concerns remotely, thereby minimizing downtime and supporting profitability.

The CES Innovation Awards program is an annual competition honoring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products. The Robotics category highlights programmable or otherwise intelligent machines capable of performing specific tasks or replicating human movement or interactions. Products are reviewed and scored by a panel of judges comprised of designers, engineers, and technology media. Products are also evaluated on their engineering and functionality, aesthetics, and design; and what makes the product unique and innovative.

“Technology and innovation are at the core of how John Deere helps farmers overcome uncertainty and improve efficiency. To make our customers the most profitable and sustainable farmers in the world, John Deere challenges the status quo to deliver smart, highly autonomous, and connected machines, like our X Series combines that unlock opportunities for them to make more informed and accurate decisions at scale, which in turn supports the greater goal of feeding a growing world population.”

said Hindman.

CES 2021 will be an all-digital, virtual format this year to allow the tech community to safely share ideas and introduce products that will help shape the future. CES showcases companies including manufacturers, developers, and suppliers of consumer technology hardware, content, technology delivery systems, and more.

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