Mike'sHorseBarn 2,476 #2 Posted September 7, 2016 Interesting concept! Imagine if the GPS receiver quits working and that thing goes Rogue! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KC9KAS 4,741 #3 Posted September 7, 2016 A lot of the farmers around here use GPS controlled machines to plant their corn & beans. BUT, most of them still sit in the drivers seat! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tunahead72 2,329 #4 Posted September 8, 2016 Definitely interesting, but to me only in a theoretical kind of way. I still REALLY enjoy driving my own tractors, thank you. I also enjoy driving my own car and truck, what exactly is the point of a vehicle that drives itself? Besides, what Mike says is almost a certainty. You just know at some point we're going to read about an autonomous tractor gone wrong in the newspaper some day. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
r356c 375 #5 Posted September 8, 2016 (edited) I thought this little one looked promising for hobby farm size crops. No GPS, it uses lidar for row following and turning around at the end of the row. The sensors borrowed from the self driving cars are going to provide a huge boost for this class of field robot. The automotive guys will drive the vision and lidar sensor costs down in short order. Edit: Well, that did not take too long. Cheap lidar for everyone! "LeddarTech is a spin-off of Canada's leading optics and photonics institute, INO." 8 detection zones in this version with more to come, the 250 meter detection range is impressive. Unaffected by direct sunlight, rain and snow. 10 years of R&D. No moving parts. Well worth watching. Edited September 8, 2016 by r356c 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abe01 61 #6 Posted September 8, 2016 Catterpillar has been working on this technology for years. When I worked there we saw several videos of mines that were basically autonomys, it was terrifying to me lol. You know the big Rock trucks on gold diggers? The ones in the video were quite a bit larger just imagine if something that heavy with that much power, weight, and speed got loose......it is amazing technology though it send's all kinds of data to a server and honestly should cut down on mining accidents. I have never worked for a company so concerned about safety.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-101plowerpower 1,589 #7 Posted September 8, 2016 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeacemakerJack 10,650 #8 Posted November 6, 2016 Sorry guys--I can't help but thinking of the original "Terminator" films when I see machines like this or the "Google cars". I remember how ludicrous it seemed in the mid '80's that machines could have the technology to operate on their own. Boy, a lot has changed since then! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RMCIII 838 #9 Posted December 7, 2016 No - better yet, just plant a virus in the tractor, and you got this: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeacemakerJack 10,650 #10 Posted December 7, 2016 Classic! I had forgotten about that film. Another man vs machine adventure... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites