From Kubota and Yanmar
Robot tractors from Japan already in 2018
The 3 Japanese tractor manufacturers: Kubota, Yanmar and Iseki, are all working on autonomous tractor technology. In addition, rice planting machines and combine harvesters are also automatically controlled. It's a Japanese race against time. At the beginning of next year, farmers can obtain the first copies.
It comes as no surprise that Kubota has focused its efforts on autonomous vehicle technology. During the annual 'New Year's session' presented the Osaka company already has a self-propelled tractor, rice planter and rice combine on caterpillars. The Japan Times now reports that from April 2018, farmers will be able to buy the first autonomous tractors. Its price is 50% higher than that of a standard tractor, converted €75.000 to €85.000 for a tractor with 60 hp. Yanmar also says it will sell a robot tractor in 2018.
75-85
thousand
East beats West
With the news, the 3 Japanese tractor builders outdo their Western colleagues. Case IH and New Holland both showed similar concepts, but they will not be commercially available for the time being. For the time being, only the Dutch Precision Makers can supply aftermarket technology to allow tractors to do their work autonomously. This is being used successfully in orchards and on huge Australian fields.
Dutch touch
In addition to Precision Makers, Kubota's 'Farm Pilot project' also has a Dutch touch. It owns Kverneland and thus also the Megatronics branch of the company in Nieuw-Vennep. Coincidence that the Japanese recently founded 'Kubota Holdings Europe BV' in the Netherlands? In the autonomous 60 hp tractor from Kubota you see, on a movie, the Tellus Go screen from Kverneland. Perhaps the company's autonomous vehicle technology comes from our country. This also offers prospects for applications in Western Europe. The European M7 shown still has a driver.
Government cooperates
A major advantage for the Japanese is the cooperation of their government. This is a gray area in Europe. Is a 7-ton tractor allowed to drive around without a driver? In Japan, the government offers subsidies for technology. In March of this year, the legislation was amended to allow the agricultural sector to use autonomous vehicle technology. For the time being, it is still required that someone keeps an eye on the machines. From 2020, remote monitoring is also allowed. The government recognizes that the agricultural sector has a serious shortage of labour. That is why it encourages such developments.
2 tractors 1 driver
Kubota is thinking of a system where 1 driver can operate 2 tractors. A bit like the GuideConnect system that Fendt pioneered. One trigger copies the behavior of the 'leader'. In practice this was not a success. It is also possible to have a tractor and rice planter do their work in the field at the same time. According to Kubota, this should result in a labor saving of 30%.
Own satellite network
Yanmar also has an autonomous tractor project† It uses the Japanese version of the American GPS network for this. Mitsubishi and the Japanese aviation organization JAXA launched a satellite for this purpose in June. The Michibiki No. 2. Yanmar has also set 2018 as a deadline. Iseki, the third Japanese manufacturer, also says it is working on a robot tractor. A copy is now on the road in England, which was built by students from an agricultural college. She attempt to grow one hectare of spring barley completely autonomously.
Yanmar is also working on an autonomously driving tractor. It will be available in Japan from April 2018.
Niels van der Boom
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