The timeline for fully autonomous cars has consistently fallen behind where experts have predicted. Whether it was Elon Musk's 2015 prediction that driverless vehicles that could go "anywhere" would arrive in two or three years, or Lyft CEO John Zimmer's proclamation that driverless cars would all but end car ownership by 2025, we're likely still decades away from fully autonomous cars roaming all corners of U.S. roads — if they arrive at all.
Autonomous tractors, however, have arrived. John Deere (NASDAQ: DE) said this week that its fully autonomous tractor is ready for large-scale production and will be available for farmers later this year.
The machine, unveiled this week at CES, an annual consumer technology trade show in Las Vegas, allows farmers to start their tractor operations with a swipe of their mobile app, and the tractor begins operating without needing anyone inside the cab.
The main benefit of an autonomous tractor is it allows farmers to focus on other areas of their business, all while monitoring their tractor's status from their phone. The app lets farmers access live video, images, and other metrics, while allowing farmers to remotely adjust speed and other functions.
Last year Moline, Illinois-based Deere purchased autonomous tractor startup Bear Flag Robotics for $250 million. The startup, founded in 2017, built technology that allows tractors to work in a field autonomously, allowing farmers to retrofit their tractor fleets with autonomous systems.
Last December, Deere announced plans to open a tech office in Chicago's Fulton Market neighborhood in late summer/early fall of 2022, where it will hire over 300 employees.
