Skip to content
The Latest John Deere News and Trends
Menu
  • Home
  • News
  • John Deere parts catalogs and manuals
    • JOHN DEERE 8100, 8200, 8300, 8400 TRACTORS PARTS CATALOG
    • JOHN DEERE 8130, 8230, 8330, 8430 and 8530 TRACTORS PARTS CATALOG
    • John Deere Parst catalog Planter 7200 MAXEMERGE
    • JOHN DEERE 9400 MAXIMIZER COMBINE PARTS CATALOG
    • JOHN DEERE 9410 MAXIMIZER COMBINE PARTS CATALOG
    • JOHN DEERE 9500 AND SIDEHILL 9500 MAXIMIZER COMBINES PARTS CATALOG
    • PARTS CATALOG 9550 SELF-PROPELLED COMBINE WITH 90 SERIES CORN HEAD
    • 9600 MAXIMIZER COMBINE WITH 900 SERIES CUTTING PLATFORM PARTS CATALOG
    • JOHN DEERE 9610 MAXIMIZER COMBINE WITH 900 SERIES CUTTING PLATFORM PARTS CATALOG
    • JOHN DEERE 9650 SELF-PROPELLED COMBINE WITH 90 SERIES CORN HEAD PARTS CATALOG
    • JOHN DEERE 9650STS SELF-PROPELLED COMBINE WITH 900 SERIES PLATFORM PARTS CATALOG
    • JOHN DEERE CTS (RISE & SMALL GRAIN) COMBINE WITH 900 SERIES PLATFORM PARTS CATALOG
    • CTS II COMBINE WITH 900 SERIES PLATFORM PARTS CATALOG
  • John Deere Parts Lookup
  • JOHN DEERE FAULT CODES LIST
  • Contact us
  • John Deere for Kids
    • John Deere Monster Treads
    • Interactive Games with the John Deere Kids Crew!
    • Nursery Rhymes
    • Sing-Alongs
    • Fun with Vehicles
    • Sing-Alongs
    • Meet the John Deere Kids Team
    • Best Moments
    • Activity Books
  • John Deere Customer Service ADVISOR
    • Buy John Deere Service Advisor
    • Laptop requirements to install Service Advisor John Deere
    • Customer Service ADVISOR installation instructions
  • John Deere Jobs
  • John Deere tractor serial numbers
  • About John Deere
    • The evolution of the John Deere logo and brand
  • FAQ
  • John Deere products
Menu
John Deere unmanned tractor

John Deere is one step closer to fully autonomous farming with its latest acquisition.

Posted on May 18, 2022August 18, 2022 by John Deere News

John Deere announced the acquisition of an advanced algorithm package from artificial intelligence startup Light.

For those of you wondering when John Deere’s unmanned tractors will really start making their mark on society, the answer is: Already today.

The future.
You won’t see yellow and green tractors rolling down city streets anytime soon. But the timeline for fully autonomous farming is speeding up considerably. Today’s purchase stems from John Deere’s need for speed and precision, but first let’s talk about rapid development.

According to Jorge Jero, John Deere vice president of automation and autonomy, and Willie Pell, vice president of autonomy and new ventures at Blue River Technology (a John Deere company).

They explained that this acquisition would not only speed up the development and deployment of the company’s artificial intelligence technology, but also allow the equipment to literally move faster, safer and without human intervention.

About Light:
Light, the company Deere is partnering with to buy the assets, is a major player in autonomous vehicles. It uses a computer vision approach to self-driving, which allows the AI system driving the vehicle to “see” the world the same way biological systems do.

In essence, Light’s algorithms will allow Deere equipment to use standard cameras to achieve a virtually unprecedented depth perception.

This is similar to the approach Tesla is taking for its “full self-driving” (FSD) system.

In the past, we’ve criticized vision-only approaches here at Neural, but it’s different now. Passenger cars have to drive on busy highways, where the slightest mistake can lead to loss of life.

On the farm, the stakes are very different. Tractors and other farm equipment must be able to identify crops and obstacles to ultimately achieve the goal of optimizing food production.

The current standard solution for autonomy (usually) involves a combination of LiDAR and computer vision. This allows developers to achieve the resolution and depth needed, for example, to teach an artificial intelligence system to “see” a pedestrian walking down the street during a snowstorm.

But that’s not necessarily the best way to do farming. Deere vehicles, for example, often need to be able to see individual weeds in real time as the vehicle moves through bumpy terrain.

A little deeper: LiDAR is expensive and doesn’t really provide the close-up accuracy needed for agricultural operations. It’s nice to see people walking down the street hundreds of yards away, but it’s not very useful for planting individual seeds, eradicating individual weeds or alerting farmers to problems specific to their fields.

Deere’s autonomous vehicles need to be more like robotic workers than simple vehicles. And to do that, they need to focus on recognition with speed and resolution that fits the customer’s needs.

READ  Convenient shopping - buy John Deere parts through the AGA Parts platform

As Pell said:
The ideal sensor is a camera that provides depth with LiDAR quality.

Unfortunately, cameras usually have to be stationary to properly process light for depth. Modern systems overcome this by using image stabilization algorithms.

But it’s one thing to figure out how to compensate for wobbly grip when you pose for selfies, or to teach an AI model to recognize stop signs.

It’s quite another to keep the camera pointed in the right direction when its steel mount bends and vibrates from the force of thousands of kilograms of cars bouncing around on uneven terrain.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Light technology will allow Deere to compensate for all these problems with standard cameras. That means the company can keep equipment costs low by applying advanced algorithms to potentially existing equipment.

Looking ahead: Heero told Neural that the company expects this acquisition to start paying dividends to Deere customers within the next few months. He says the company ultimately intends to reach higher speeds with its current autonomy systems and include more vehicles.

The ultimate goal is to fully automate and optimize farm operations so farmers can spend their time on higher-level management and other purely human efforts.

John Deere is one step closer to fully autonomous farming with its latest acquisition.

John Deere announced the acquisition of an advanced algorithm package from artificial intelligence startup Light.

For those of you wondering when John Deere’s unmanned tractors will really start making their mark on society, the answer is: Already today.

The future.
You won’t see yellow and green tractors rolling down city streets anytime soon. But the timeline for fully autonomous farming is speeding up considerably. Today’s purchase stems from John Deere’s need for speed and precision, but first let’s talk about rapid development.

According to Jorge Jero, John Deere vice president of automation and autonomy, and Willie Pell, vice president of autonomy and new ventures at Blue River Technology (a John Deere company).

They explained that this acquisition would not only speed up the development and deployment of the company’s artificial intelligence technology, but also allow the equipment to literally move faster, safer and without human intervention.

About Light:
Light, the company Deere is partnering with to buy the assets, is a major player in autonomous vehicles. It uses a computer vision approach to self-driving, which allows the AI system driving the vehicle to “see” the world the same way biological systems do.

In essence, Light’s algorithms will allow Deere equipment to use standard cameras to achieve a virtually unprecedented depth perception.

This is similar to the approach Tesla is taking for its “full self-driving” (FSD) system.

READ  John Deere will upgrade 7R Series tractors in 2023

In the past, we’ve criticized vision-only approaches here at Neural, but it’s different now. Passenger cars have to drive on busy highways, where the slightest mistake can lead to loss of life.

On the farm, the stakes are very different. Tractors and other farm equipment must be able to identify crops and obstacles to ultimately achieve the goal of optimizing food production.

The current standard solution for autonomy (usually) involves a combination of LiDAR and computer vision. This allows developers to achieve the resolution and depth needed, for example, to teach an artificial intelligence system to “see” a pedestrian walking down the street during a snowstorm.

But that’s not necessarily the best way to do farming. Deere vehicles, for example, often need to be able to see individual weeds in real time as the vehicle moves through bumpy terrain.

A little deeper: LiDAR is expensive and doesn’t really provide the close-up accuracy needed for agricultural operations. It’s nice to see people walking down the street hundreds of yards away, but it’s not very useful for planting individual seeds, eradicating individual weeds or alerting farmers to problems specific to their fields.

Deere’s autonomous vehicles need to be more like robotic workers than simple vehicles. And to do that, they need to focus on recognition with speed and resolution that fits the customer’s needs.

As Pell said:
The ideal sensor is a camera that provides depth with LiDAR quality.

Unfortunately, cameras usually have to be stationary to properly process light for depth. Modern systems overcome this by using image stabilization algorithms.

But it’s one thing to figure out how to compensate for wobbly grip when you pose for selfies, or to teach an AI model to recognize stop signs.

It’s quite another to keep the camera pointed in the right direction when its steel mount bends and vibrates from the force of thousands of kilograms of cars bouncing around on uneven terrain.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Light technology will allow Deere to compensate for all these problems with standard cameras. That means the company can keep equipment costs low by applying advanced algorithms to potentially existing equipment.

Looking ahead: Heero told Neural that the company expects this acquisition to start paying dividends to Deere customers within the next few months. He says the company ultimately intends to reach higher speeds with its current autonomy systems and include more vehicles.

The ultimate goal is to fully automate and optimize farm operations so farmers can spend their time on higher-level management and other purely human efforts.

Recent Posts

  • John Deere Precision Farming Technology Updated: New John Deere G5 Family of Displays and JDLink Modem March 6, 2023
  • John Deere Enters the Space Industry February 13, 2023
  • Deere launches green lawn equipment lineup. Available from today, Feb. 13 February 13, 2023
  • John Deere Will Not Participate in SIMA 2024: Shifting Focus to Alternative Communication Channels February 13, 2023
  • Who will John Deere partner with this year? January 24, 2023
  • CES 2023: John Deere Launches New ExactShot Technology January 24, 2023
  • John Deere introduces 185 E-Cut and 225 E-Cut cordless mowers, and announces other hybrid solutions in its products. January 24, 2023
  • John Deere partners with Microsoft to improve dealer efficiency and value January 20, 2023
  • Right to repair will be!!! John Deere and the Farm Group Farmers Association have reached an agreement on the right to repair your own equipment. January 10, 2023
  • The new John Deere 6R and 6M tractors will be assembled with 3D printed stainless steel parts. December 30, 2022
  • John Deere X9. How did it work on corn in Poland? December 16, 2022
  • John Deere will upgrade 7R Series tractors in 2023 December 5, 2022

John Deere Parts

Categories

  • News
  • Technology

Archives


Albedo (1) Anelo Photonics (1) artificial intelligence (1) CES2023 (1) ExactShot (1) Exhibitions (1) Farming Technology (1) Gator (1) Grai Matter Labs (1) Hybrid Innovation (1) ioT (1) JDLink (1) John Deer (1) John Deere Operations Center (1) John Deere X9 (1) lawn equipment (1) mowers (1) new technologies (6) OnLink Technology (1) precision farming (5) SIMA 2024 (1) Space Race (1) StarFire 7000 (1) startups (1) sustainable development (2)

CONTACT:

e-mail:info@news-jd.com

MENU:

  • News
  • Contact us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Medium
  • Reddit
©2023 The Latest John Deere News and Trends