An Idea for Autonomous Implements

By Karen McMahon
Progressive Farmer Contributing Editor

The Spirit autonomous tractor emerged unexpectedly at a farm show a year ago. The modular, driverless tractor attracted lots of attention for its inventor Terry Anderson. More than 1,000 requests for the tractor from farmers in the U.S. and around the world poured in to Anderson and the Autonomous Tractor Corp., located at St. Michael, Minn.

But instead of building tractors to meet this demand, Anderson and the company switched its focus to implements. The autonomous tractor was obsolete.

"There's no future in tractors," Anderson insists. "What was an autonomous tractor going to pull? These tractors can't pull existing implements, because if something breaks, nobody will know it."

Now the company is centered on guidance and monitoring of implements that don't need a tractor.

"We are building self-propelled, autonomous implements and provide monitoring of the entire vehicle," he says.

The implement uses the same modular platform with diesel-electric power showcased on the first tractor they built. Two 202-hp Isuzu diesel engines generate electrical power to operate motors. In turn, the motors run the tracks and any other functions needed for an implement.

"We don't need a transmission or differentials or 7-inch axles with diesel-electric," Anderson explains. "We need a vehicle that we can monitor every aspect of it, provide really fail-safe control systems and is something the farmer can repair and afford."

AUTONOMOUS GRAIN CART

The first implement under development with the integrated guidance system is a grain cart. Anderson's group built a 400-bushel grain box on top of the platform and added two 12-inch augers for fast unloading. The vehicle is designed to travel quickly to and from the combine and truck with a small load for low soil compaction. It can shift directions without turning around.

Anderson's group is also developing a toolbar for planting, fertilizing and tillage that attaches to the platform. They plan to bring the first implements to the market in 2014. He sees a future where multiple, small autonomous implements replace a large tractor and implement in the field.

At the heart of the autonomous implement is an integrated guidance system to control the implement with precision position data. Four master transponders set in the corners of a field provide positive verification of vehicle location. Each vehicle also has transponders and sensors giving information to the system. An iPhone can operate it.

"We think we can get down to 1/8-inch accuracy," Anderson says. "It is a simple guidance system, and right now, we are in the process of getting the cost out of it."

COMPUTER BACKGROUND

This may all sound like an impossible task until you take into account Anderson's background. He cofounded Ancor Communications, a company that sold in the late 1990s for $1.8 billion.

The company developed custom telecommunications for major clients, such as the Ford Motor Company.

In his "retirement," Anderson wanted to work on autonomous technology for agriculture. He grew up in a small, rural area and spent time with relatives who farm. That's when he learned of agriculture's labor shortage and high cost for equipment. He concluded autonomous vehicles powered by diesel-electric should solve both problems.

Several years ago, Anderson pulled together highly experienced programming friends to join him and formed Autonomous Research. The programmers and other employees work on projects that include area positioning systems, oil-cooled wheel motors, electronic sensors for implements and drones for as-needed field spraying.

Nothing seems undoable to Anderson. He says, "If we can put a vehicle on the moon, we have the technology to run autonomous vehicles in the field safely. The U.S. taxpayer has paid a lot of money for this technology. We need to use that technology to make a farmer's lifestyle easier."

(BAS)

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