The Challenge
How can we get our jobs done with fewer workers?
With farms increasing in size and the potential labor market shrinking, today’s farmers are challenged with cultivating the land in an efficient and profitable way, despite the increased costs and shortage of labor.
Solution
User-friendly automation.
Anyone who has spent hours navigating in a tractor on farmland knows its challenges. Besides keeping the vehicle on track, there are so many other things that the driver needs to keep an eye on. And with the complexity of modern machinery, a substantial amount of knowledge and experience is needed for optimum tractor and implement operation. At the same time, driving a tractor around a field is often hot and monotonous work. Ideally, we have to make things easier for the driver, whilst reducing costs and intensive labor.
Technological innovations can provide a solution to these issues. Just as car manufacturers are experimenting with autonomous cars on the road, and space exploration relies on autonomous vehicles on other planets, farmers can now send autonomous tractors on to their fields, operating them remotely or while sitting in the cab.
With a shrinking agricultural workforce but the need to increase food production, growers can deal with both situations with one simple solution: the autonomous tractor.
The tractor of the future is here today.
Kubota has created the MR 1000A Agri Robo. With the Agri Robo, farmers can plan their field size and shape, what jobs need to be performed on the land and allow the tractor to carry out its job on its own – they can even remotely operate two tractors at once.
Safety for the tractor, the operator and any other people around is ensured by sonar and scanner technology. The optical recognition systems can detect obstacles close by and far away, and whether these are stationary or moving. This also means the Agri Robo can be used within a larger window of time, as it won’t get tired after long, monotonous hours of operation. It can also work at night-time.
Operated manually by the farmer on the street, the Agri Robo tractor can, once on the field, be switched into automotive mode and be controlled with the help of a tablet, a special remote or screen in the cab. The Farm Management Information System (FMIS) in the information panel of the tractor allows surveillance of the tractor in real time.
The tractor of the future is here today.
Kubota has created the MR 1000A Agri Robo. With the Agri Robo, farmers can plan their field size and shape, what jobs need to be performed on the land and allow the tractor to carry out its job on its own – they can even remotely operate two tractors at once.
Safety for the tractor, the operator and any other people around is ensured by sonar and scanner technology. The optical recognition systems can detect obstacles close by and far away, and whether these are stationary or moving. This also means the Agri Robo can be used within a larger window of time, as it won’t get tired after long, monotonous hours of operation. It can also work at night-time.
The operator can manually drive the tractor on the road to the field, then once on the field, the Agri Robo tractor can be switched into automotive mode and be controlled with the help of a tablet, a special remote or screen in the cab. The Farm Management Information System (FMIS) in the information panel of the tractor allows surveillance of the tractor in real time.
Efficient farming, good for the environment.
If only one person is required to do the work of two, it saves time and money and makes each worker more efficient. The Agri Robo is also lighter than standard tractors and therefore creates less soil compaction. And if all this sounds complicated, think again. The operating system of the tractor doesn’t require a great deal of special training; it’s easy to learn to operate.
The Agri Robo is already out on fields in Japan, making the farmers’ work so much easier. It ticks all the boxes – it saves labor and money, increases efficiency and yield, and helps to protect the environment. A visionary, all-around solution for 21st century agriculture.
Benefits
“The robot tractor performs precisely and accurately, up to a 6 inch gap between the rows. That was what surprised me the most.” Customer, Japan.
“First, we had to do something with this worker shortage. When we thought about what would make operations more efficient, we realized that robot tractors would be one option. That’s the background behind our decision to introduce robot tractors.
What amazed me the most about robots is definitely their accuracy. When we plow soil before transferring the rice seedlings, you can hardly see in the evening between the rows. The robot tractor performs precisely and accurately, up to a 6 inch gap between the rows. That was what surprised me the most. I thought that there’s no wasted time, and it was well done and thorough.”
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