AGCO adds new autonomous capabilities to Fendt Xaver field robot

Apex.OS is a software development kit (SDK), developed by Apex.AI, a company developing safety-certified software for mobility and autonomous applications. AGCO announced it is adding new capabilities to its Fendt Xaver autonomous farming robot, by incorporating Apex.OS.

Autonomous driving components

Apex.AI has enabled AGCO’s engineering team to integrate several autonomous driving components into the Fendt Xaver, including lidar object detection, collision checking and planning. This technical partnership expands an existing relationship between the two companies. In December 2021, AGCO announced a strategic investment in Apex.AI.

Fendt Xaver, developed by Fendt as part of a research project, plants seeds on farms 24 hours a day with centimeter precision thanks to the Apex.OS software. Fendt Xaver is said to use 90% less energy than conventional machines because of its lightweight electric design, which produces zero emissions.

Cloud-connected fleet

AGCO has leveraged Apex.OS to develop a software stack for Xaver based on automotive industry standards, extending its real-time autonomous functions. A cloud-connected fleet of Fendt Xaver robots is controlled through an app and provides real-time data from each unit, including its location, status, and diagnostics.

“Apex.OS is a foundational software framework and development kit for rapidly developing advanced autonomous capabilities,” said Christian Kelber, Director, Engineering, AGCO. “The technology has helped AGCO shorten R&D timelines of our smart agricultural solutions and for the future of highly automated robots. Coming from the automotive industry, Apex.AI enables us to implement safety-critical applications from autonomous driving that can be deployed across our range of solutions globally.”