A new autonomous tractor from Illinois-based manufacturer Sabanto is hitting the fields, allowing farmers to get the physical labor of agricultural work done while redirecting their attention to other parts of their business. The hope is to overcome two core problems facing farmers today: the growing scarcity of labor in rural areas and the increasing costs of machinery.
Called the Steward, the tractor uses cellular connectivity, lidar, smart video cameras and an onboard Vehicle Path Finding Module to safely navigate and detect roadblocks while transmitting data back to the user, who can monitor its progress remotely.
“We’re just a bunch of smart farm kids and engineers helping other farmers, producers and operators solve some of their most pressing problems: labor shortages, high capital costs and scaling operations,” said Sabanto CEO Craig Rupp.
This article originally appeared in the September issue of Government Technology magazine. Click here to view the full digital edition online.
