IT has the potential to revolutionise agriculture and since its unveiling last year has created a buzz around the world.
Now Case IH’s Autonomous Concept Vehicle (ACV) is in Australia for the first time.
The driverless concept vehicle, a cab-less tractor that can operate autonomously with a wide range of field implements, made its debut at the United State’s biggest agricultural event, Farm Progress, last year, with Australia’s equivalent event, AgQuip, hosting the machine this week at Gunnedah, New South Wales.
“The ACV is a glimpse into the future for agriculture and proof of the affect technology is having on our industry,” said Case IH marketing manager Peter McCann.
“Nobody could have imagined a driverless tractor 10 years ago, but the ACV shows us that one day they could be a reality.
“It’s the perfect example of the possibilities before us and the fact the next big revolution in agriculture could be just around the corner.
“To be able to bring the ACV to Australia and show it to farmers is very exciting for all of the Case IH team.”
The tractor was created to demonstrate the available technology and initiate customer feedback on the need for future autonomous products.
The ACV’s Australian visit tops off a huge year for Case IH.
While the ACV was the focal point for Case IH at AgQuip, the brand is also celebrating its 175th anniversary and anniversaries of some of its flagship machines, including the Patriot sprayer (25 years), the Steiger Quadtrac (20 years) and the Axial-Flow combine (40 years).
Case IH global product manager for Advanced Farming Systems (AFS), Rob Zemenchik, said autonomous tractor operations potentially offered producers more control, monitoring capabilities and cost savings through greater efficiencies with tasks such as tillage, planting, spraying and harvesting.
He said an operator could potentially supervise the activities of multiple machines via a tablet or desktop computer while completing other tasks, and autonomous tractors could work together on the one task or on multiple tasks simultaneously.
The ACV’s onboard system automatically accounts for implement widths and plots the most efficient paths depending on terrain, obstructions and other machines in the vicinity.