Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - February 2021 - 23

ORIGINAL

EQUIPMENT
CES 2021: Deere demos tractor, high-precision planter via virtual reality

DEERE

Deere's 8RX track-type tractor and planter can run at 10 mph to plant corn at 700 seeds per second.
Digital technology is rapidly transforming off-highway equipment, giving users more functionality and higher precision than is possible with human operators. John Deere highlighted its advanced electronic skills during the virtual CES 2021 conference in January by
giving remote booth attendees virtual
reality (VR) headsets that demonstrated its technical prowess.
Deere highlighted its ExactEmerge
planter technology and its 8RX tracktype tractor during the virtual trade
show. The two can be paired to boost
yields, letting operators plant seeds
with high precision even while running
at 10 mph (16 km/h), double the rate
possible with earlier generations.
Using VR headsets mailed to selected
participants, Deere provided a virtual
look at the ways technology is transforming agricultural equipment. In a
memorable segment, Deere placed
spectators in a trench so they could see
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

the significant differences between
tractors driving 5 mph and 10 mph. That
segment of the demonstration, somewhat reminiscent of the movie scene
where a boulder rolls towards Indiana
Jones, also showed viewers the precision of the seed planting depth.
ExactEmerge uses more than 300
sensors and 140 processors to increase
planting speed so farmers can more
closely hit the optimal time for planting
- some estimates say that every day
missed from the 10 or so prime planting
days reduces yield by 1%. The planter
also uses precise depth and spacing
requirements to maximize crop yields.
" The row unit in combination with the
tractor is like a robot; there are 16 robots (the ExactEmerge planting arms)
working together, " said Nancy Post,
director of embedded software and
solutions at John Deere's Intelligent
Solutions Group. " They have electrified
motors that plant corn at 700 kernels

per second or 2,800 soybeans per second. Within milliseconds, each row unit
has to open up and place the seed and
nutrient, then cover it up. "

GPS augmentation

While electronics on the planter manage this accuracy, driving systems on
the tractor utilize GPS signals to provide precision well beyond commercial
accuracy, handling speed and steering
so operators can focus on other tasks.
Automated driving has been upgraded
to make turns at the end of rows, even
lifting equipment like planters to conserve materials and reduce drag.
Deere's Starfire GPS augmentation system lets the tractor drive precisely so all
tasks performed during the growing
season are managed efficiently.
" We have our own satellite correction
system that makes sure GPS systems
are very precise, " said Deanna Kovar,
vice president of Precision Ag at Deere.
February 2021 23

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - February 2021

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