It has GPS, lasers, computer vision, and uses machine learning and sensors to be more efficient. This is the new high-tech farm equipment from John Deere, which made its first Consumer Electronics Show appearance this week to highlight the importance of tech in farming.

Deere brought its massive agricultural combine and GPS-guided tractor to the Las Vegas technology event, making the point that farming is more than sticking a finger up to gauge the weather.

The machines are guided by enhanced GPS data which, according to the company, is accurate to one inch (2.5 centimeters) -- compared with three meters (10 feet) for conventional GPS.

As they work the fields, the machines gather data about soil conditions and monitor how corn and other crops are being harvested to reduce waste and improve efficiency.

"We want consumers to understand how food is grown," said Deere marketing executive Deanna Kovar.

"Not only is this machine harvesting the grain, it's harvesting the data, which helps farmers make decisions for next year."

Kovar said the added electronics add about $10,000 to the cost of the combine, which sells for close to half a million dollars, and that most buyers take the option.

"You can get a savings of about one to three bushels per acre, so it pays for itself very quickly," she said.

rl/ska

DEERE & CO

Related Links
All about the robots on Earth and beyond!

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Growing bio-inspired shapes with hundreds of tiny robots
Heidelberg, Germany (SPX) Jan 02, 2019
Hundreds of small robots can work in a team to create biology-inspired shapes - without an underlying master plan, purely based on local communication and movement. To achieve this, researchers from EMBL, CRG and Bristol Robotics Laboratory introduced the biological principles of self-organisation to swarm robotics. Science Robotics publishes the results on 19 December. "We show that it is possible to apply nature's concepts of self-organisation to human technology like robots," says EMBL Barcelon ... read more