

Self-Driving Tractor (1978) [video] - edward
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3xS3eIHzLk&hn

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Animats
Tractors are now routinely used with GPS-based hands-off driving, just to get
precision rows. Trimble Navigation and John Deere offer that. But few go all
the way to driverless operation. There have been lots of demos, experiments,
and startups, but full driverless operation is still rare. Autonomous Tractor
Corp's site still says "will be demonstrated in the field in the fall of
2014".

Automated precision driving is a big win, because all the field operations
work better if they're precisely lined up on the rows, and driving that
accurately by hand is wearing. But equipping a tractor with all the sensors
needed to avoid obstacles and accidents is still difficult. It's necessary to
distinguish between tall corn and someone standing in the corn.

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JoeAltmaier
I'm not sure it is that important. If the tractor has some failsafe to just
stay in the field, then somebody standing in the field is going to have a bad
day. They're in the way of some industrial operation, and its their fault.

I know, children and kittens etc. But plenty of other industrial processes are
dangerous and don't deal with it; why should farming?

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furyg3
Dangerous industrial places like ports, for example, have big fences and
security cameras and security officers watching those cameras and driving
around. It could be that hiring a tractor babysitter is cheaper than all of
that.

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JoeAltmaier
Ever been in a corn field? No need for fences and cameras. They are way out in
the middle of nowhere. Distance makes them safe. I spent large portions of my
childhood in corn field/hay fields etc, and nobody ever, ever went out there
but me and people like me who had business there.

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mikeash
And if you do wander into a random corn field in the middle of nowhere, the
presence of a human farmer doesn't suddenly make it safe. You can get run over
by a manned tractor just as well as an unmanned one. And an unmanned one won't
shoot you with a shotgun if it feels threatened.

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robotresearcher
Credit where it's due: this work was done at Silsoe Research Institute, which
was the engineering base of the UK's BBSRC (biology research funding agency).

They were based at Wrest Park, a beautiful stately home in gorgeous grounds
designed by Capability Brown. You can see the main house in the background in
the first few seconds of the video. The UK govt in their wisdom closed it down
a few years ago.

[http://www.silsoeresearch.org.uk/](http://www.silsoeresearch.org.uk/)

~~~
walshemj
Merged with Cranfield I belive

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fnordfnordfnord
I'll raise you Self-Driving Air Tractor. (ca 1996).
[http://www.agairupdate.com/article_detail.php?_kp_serial=000...](http://www.agairupdate.com/article_detail.php?_kp_serial=00001605)

