On August 23 of this year, a combine equipped with a unique robotic installation passed its first tests on agricultural land in the Tomsk Region. The system created by the specialists of the company “Cognitive Technology", Is much cheaper than foreign counterparts and, according to developers, is able to pay off in 1-2 seasons.
The uniqueness of the invention of domestic engineers lies in the fact that unmanned control of the combine is carried out thanks to the elements of artificial intelligence. At the same time, the system does not need satellite navigation. Orientation in space is solely due to installed sensors and machine vision, which recognize all objects encountered along the route, including people and animals.
During the tests, the harvester autonomously harvested spring wheat on a field of 120 hectares. Technicians present in the cockpit only watched the process. In addition, along with the harvesting, an innovative system has digitized the field.
According to the developers, their brainchild will significantly reduce costs, while improving the quality of harvesting. Plus, the new robotic system is universal and can be installed on any type of agricultural machinery.
As for concerns about competition, which can be unique to humans, they are premature. At the moment, there is an acute shortage of machine operators. Moreover, staffing hunger is experienced by almost all regions, not to mention Siberia and the Far East.
It is worth noting that the robotic system from the company Cognitive Technologies, is ready for mass production. And today there are already more than 1500 pre-orders from abroad.