Autonomy 2.0

John Deere reveals its next-generation autonomous system for tractors.

- Alex Gray

John Deere has unveiled the next stage in its autonomous machinery development, including functions for tillage, orchard spraying, landscaping, and construction.

Jahmy Hindman, senior vice president and chief technology officer at John Deere, said the next-generation autonomous perception is a “significant leap” forward. The system unites Deere’s autonomous technology development — in agriculture, construction, and landscaping — to address labor availability challenges.

“It’s difficult for customers in these industries to find, attract, and retain the talent they need to do the work required of them in their individual businesses,” Hindman said. “We’re taking our guidance solutions, our G5 displays, or JDLink modems — these bits and pieces of hardware and software that have been intelligently crafted over the last two decades — to form a system we can cascade across all these industries.”

Autonomy How-To

John Deere is focused on bringing its autonomous solution to tillage applications first, due to the task’s relative simplicity. The company has developed its autonomous system to be as straightforward for the farmer as possible, with three steps to get started.

Users first need to set up and plan in the John Deere Operations Center. Here, they make work plans for the autonomous tractor, guided by autonomy boundaries and agronomic data collected during harvest.

Farmers then send this work plan to the tractor, where John Deere’s tech stack from the last 20 years — such as AutoTrac Turn Automation, AutoPath, and Operations Center Mobile — kicks in.