The St. Petersburg Tractor Plant will launch serial production of unmanned tractors next year. This was announced by the Cognitive Pilot company, which signed an agreement with him. Under the contract, Cognitive Pilot will equip the updated model of the Kirovets tractor with autopilot systems based on artificial intelligence.
Cognitive Pilot is a subsidiary of Sberbank and Cognitive Technologies. The latter developed a control system for an unmanned tractor, which was tested in Tatarstan in 2016. The car was equipped with a pair of cameras, GLONASS and GPS positioning sensors and a computing unit for data processing.
This system, during the pre-sowing work, made a map of the working area and put objects and obstacles ranging in size from 10-15 centimeters at a distance of 15-20 meters on it. After that, the tractor could work independently, including in conditions of insufficient visibility or during harvesting.
On October 6, Cognitive Pilot announced a contract with the St. Petersburg Tractor Plant for the production of the kIrovets tractor with autopilot systems based on the Cognitive Agro Pilot artificial intelligence. This system should increase the productivity of the tractor by 15-20 percent.
kIrovtsev will be mass-equipped with the first version of the autopilot system from February 2022. Its level of autonomy roughly corresponds to the third automobile - it allows you to control the main processes, such as the movement of the tractor. Tractors with the first version of Cognitive Agro Pilot will be able to move along the set trajectory in autonomous mode, automatically control the optimal speed, stop in front of obstacles and work in conditions of insufficient visibility.
At the second stage, the level of their autonomy will be increased to the fourth automobile. Tractors will be able to turn around autonomously, automatically calculate the optimal route and refine the course according to visual landmarks, but the driver will still be present in them. The second version of the autopilot will also allow you to analyze the state of the soil and crops.
kIrovets will become fully unmanned only by the third version of Cognitive Agro Pilot, which should be ready by 2024. Tractors will be able to work in groups with a "leader", drive on non-public roads and move autonomously in tandem with combines without an autonomous control system. In addition, an expanded set of agricultural implements will be available to them.
Other companies are also developing unmanned tractors. Earlier we wrote about the Japanese Kubota, which presented a prototype of the X Tractor. This car received four tracked modules with independent drive motor wheels, several cameras and a satellite navigation system.
Vasilisa Chernyavtseva