How autonomous vehicles will improve sustainability and productivity in agriculture
Summary
The ISObus includes standardised connectors, communication protocols, and operational guidelines and enables the development of interconnected sensor and control systems from different makers (Figure 1). For example, one company offers a kit with a 250kW generator that can be attached to the tractor’s existing internal combustion engine in place of the hydraulic pump. By replacing the hydraulic systems, the retrofit kit reduces fuel and maintenance costs and increases the availability and reliability of the hybrid e-tractor. Those fleets will be operated in coordination to help control capital expenses, minimise labour needs, and provide the big data necessary to enable autonomous execution and precision agriculture. Large amounts of real-time data directly from the field will be used to continuously train the AI and ML algorithms required for decision-making, control, and operational planning to optimise precision agriculture.