By DOUG SCHMITZ
Iowa Correspondent WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa — A southeastern Iowa agricultural equipment manufacturer has unveiled the world’s first robotic tractor that’s the first of its kind in row crop production to utilize an autonomous grain cart system to help increase productivity on the farm with minimal direct human input.
“We’re excited to introduce the first truly autonomous row crop solution in the world on this scale,” said Susanne Kinzenbaw Veatch, vice president and chief marketing officer at Kinze Manufacturing, Inc.
Launched on Aug. 2, the Williamsburg, Iowa-based company also became the first to introduce its agricultural robotics technology in the United States.
“This technology could be used to do a variety of tasks, including planting, nourishing, maintaining and harvesting crops,” she added.
Dubbed the Kinze Autonomy Project, the tractor has been in development for over two years before debuting at a demonstration before company dealers at the annual Kinze Dealer Day on June 29.
Although the company is still in the initial stages of developing the system and figuring out how to market the new robotics technology, the project team has been performing extensive obstacle detection testing to ensure the accuracy and safety of the autonomous equipment.
According to company officials, the tractor is designed to “reduce the need for skilled operators by taking the human element out of the tractor cab” that allows robotic operation of tractors and other vehicles in a field.
Founded more than 45 years ago, Kinze has been building grain carts, plows, planters and other equipment for 40 years. The Kinze Autonomy Project started the robotic tractor concept using computer simulation before going out into the field.
“Some simple forms of autonomy are used in rice production and orchard operations,” Veatch said. “However, until now, no other manufacturer associated with row crop production has offered truly autonomous technology like this.”
The company’s project engineers partnered with Jaybridge Robotics to simulate real-world scenarios to ensure the equipment would detect such objects as fence posts, stand pipes, farm animals and other vehicles.
Based in Cambridge, Mass., Jaybridge supplied domain expertise, systems integration services, proprietary software and custom software development to help Kinze create the new robotic system, which aims to increase productivity for row crop farmers, particularly corn and soybean growers.
“Kinze needed a partner with experience in autonomy and robotics that would complement their deep knowledge of agriculture,” said Jeremy Brown, Jaybridge president. “The Jaybridge team has delivered robotic products into very harsh conditions that rival those found in farmers’ fields, and we know the sensors and algorithms.
“But perhaps of greatest importance was the fact that we have a product mentality,” he added. “Jaybridge employs the rigorous quality and engineering processes necessary to create robust reliable systems that are real-world ready, not just prototypes. This made us a natural partner for Kinze.”
The robotic tractor works by the farmer first loading a field map into the global positioning system (GPS), including such obstacles as field boundaries and waterways.
Once the farmer takes the tractor to the field and identifies that field’s position, the system precisely maps out the most efficient way to plant in that given field, while avoiding bumping into other farm equipment and farm animals.
Veatch said Kinze will market this technology to help growers increase their productivity by allowing them to focus their time and attention elsewhere, while performing cursory monitoring of the autonomous equipment before its commercial launch to the market.
“It’s our goal to help reduce grower fatigue and help them make the most of their harvest,” she said. “As growers ourselves, we know how crucial it is to be productive during the short planting and harvest windows. With this technology, producers can set the equipment to run all night, if necessary.”
The system, which features modifications to a stock model grain cart and tractor, applies an integrated suite of low-cost sensors, industrial embedded computer and advanced algorithms, Brown said.
To lower costs while increasing production efficiency, the company relied heavily on their software expertise.
“Jaybridge developed an extensive suite of software to run in this very confined computing space, including some very advanced algorithms that allow the system to react to the world around it in real time,” Brown said. “This was the key to creating an autonomous system designed to be both safe and reliable.
“Jaybridge looks forward to continuing our partnership with Kinze, and to building new relationships in agriculture, mining, materials handling, defense, and other domains to bring autonomous vehicle products to market,” he added.
Brian McKown, Kinze chief operating officer, said the tractor’s driverless system is fully controlled by this advanced software and is capable of performing a complete workflow during harvest season.
The system process also includes locating a moving harvester in the field, synchronizing with it, collecting its grain and delivering that grain to trucks near the field for transportation, McKown added.
“Kinze has always been focused on innovation, and we realize that the trend toward autonomous solutions in mining, defense and other industries will also have a profound effect on agriculture,” he said.
“It is very important to our customers that we explore autonomous solutions and begin to productize them,” he added. “Working closely with Jaybridge Robotics, we have taken a major step in that process with the development of Kinze Autonomy.”
For more information on Kinze’s robotic tractor, visit www.kinze.com |
