Bright prospects for the unmanned tractor – Especially with reverse capability
The autonomous tractor has shown great potential in modern farming, but a key improvement – reverse functionality – could unlock even greater versatility. Dutch arable farmers participating in trials with the iQuus Autonomy system on a Fendt 716 S4 highlighted the need for reverse driving to enable tighter maneuvers on small headlands and more precise implement control.
The versatile iQuus Autonomy system, used in this year’s trials, includes additional safety components, making it more advanced and autonomous than the iQuus Control system used in 2023 on a Steyr demo tractor.
Two key differences stand out. First, users can now plan the tractor’s route themselves in advance, using their known field boundaries or AB-lines. In 2023, with the iQuus Control system, expert assistance from GPX Solutions was required, which could take up to half a day even with good planning. Allowing users to plan independently has significantly increased the system’s flexibility and usability, according to feedback from users.
Additionally, the safety package on the machine has been enhanced with extra sensors. This eliminates the need for constant human supervision, such as holding a button continuously, which was required last year with the Steyr model. The Fendt equipped with iQuus Autonomy can now operate independently, allowing the operator to focus on other tasks.
“We’re comfortable setting it to work and walking away”, says Aswin Dierx, a crop technician at Swinkels Groenten. “For fields of around two hectares or larger, we see this system as a very interesting solution.”
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Two serious requests
The 2024 demonstration tour revealed two unanimous and significant requests for expanding the system:
- Reverse Driving Capability: Dutch farmers would like the autonomy system to include reverse functionality, allowing the tractor to perform tight maneuvers on headlands. This would make tasks such as plowing and working on fields with limited turning space more efficient.
- Implement Integration: Farmers also want better connectivity between the autonomous tractor and its attached implements. This integration would enable the tractor to detect and appropriately respond to issues, such as mechanical malfunctions or blockages, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted operation.
These enhancements are seen as crucial for maximizing the usability and effectiveness of autonomous systems in real-world farming scenarios.
First, regarding reverse driving, which is currently not possible with the iQuus system. This limitation means that the tractor requires a wide headland for turning. The width needed is especially large when tasks require adjacent passes, such as plowing. For less precise operations, where work passes don’t need to align perfectly, slightly narrower headlands may suffice.
Due to this limitation, the system’s route planning relies on wide headlands. Depending on the tractor, a headland width of 9 to 15 meters is often required to complete a turn. This makes certain tasks, like ridging potatoes on fields with 5-meter-wide headlands, infeasible with the current system
The width of the headland can also be a barrier during pre-planting preparations, such as tilling or harrowing before planting or seeding a crop. Often, a powered harrow or rotary tiller works about 15 to 30 minutes ahead of the planter or seeder to minimize weather risks.
If the crop requires a 5-meter-wide headland, this becomes problematic. After the unmanned tractor completes its passes, a driver would need to manually finish the remaining edges of the field. Ideally, the planter should follow the harrow immediately, but the current headland width requirements make this workflow difficult to achieve efficiently.
Vary in importance depending
The headland issue can vary in importance depending on the shape of the field. Koen van Boheemen from Wageningen University & Research (WUR), who oversaw the demonstration tour, explains:
“Those final ten meters carry more weight on a square field of just a few hectares than on a long, narrow field, such as one stretching a kilometer in length. In the latter case, you could already perform wide turns without needing reverse functionality, allowing for efficient plowing and subsequent headland tilling.”
This highlights how the system’s limitations may be less impactful on certain field shapes but remain a significant constraint for others.
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The driver listens, sees, feels, and intervenes
The required ingenuity also applies to evaluating the performance of an unmanned tractor-implement combination. Even during relatively simple tasks like subsoiling, a driver constantly monitors the results.
For instance, if a shear bolt breaks, the driver can see, hear, or feel it. Similarly, if soil begins to accumulate excessively around the tines, the driver intervenes, resolves the issue, and continues working.
For an unmanned system, replicating this level of real-time observation and intervention is a significant challenge, requiring sophisticated sensors and automated responses to maintain efficiency and prevent disruptions.
Tractor with autonomy kit can also function as regular tractor
For an unmanned tractor to function effectively, it must independently monitor its operation and the performance of any attached implements. This can be achieved using a variety of sensors, including:
- Shear bolt sensors to detect breaks or mechanical failures.
- Engine management systems to identify structural changes in load, such as when the tractor begins to work significantly harder or lighter.
- PTO sensors for powered implements, providing real-time data on performance.
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