The future of farming will be filled with autonomous electric tractors silently plowing in fields, according to Kubota, a Japanese tractor maker, which celebrated its 130th anniversary with the reveal of the smart X Tractor concept.
The Kubota X Tractor debuted at an exhibition in Kyoto City, Japan this month providing a glimpse at the future of farming. A completely autonomous tractor fitted with artificial intelligence and an electric powertrain with in-wheel motors and a combination of lithium-ion batteries and solar batteries.
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Kubota claims to be one of the first companies to introduce smart technologies into the farming business, aiming to tackle modern farmer issues such as labor shortage and low operating efficiency.
According to the Japanese company, their latest robot tractor concept can drive itself on uneven terrains thanks its crawlers and can alter its height depending on the conditions. If more traction is required, the tractor would lower itself to bring down the center of gravity while when operating above crops, it can increase its height and therefore its ground clearance.
The in-wheel motors of the electric powertrain make it possible to momentarily change the speed of the four crawlers in order to decrease the autonomous tractor’s turning radius, making it easier to maneuver on different types of land.
While we tend to focus on passenger vehicles, autonomous driving technologies are expected to transform many sectors across the industry, including trucking, construction and of course farming.
