First autonomous tractor from John Deere

The future of agriculture without people: A robot tractor without a driver cultivates a field and plants seeds.

On the press conference at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, agricultural equipment maker John Deere unveiled its first autonomous 8R tractor, which farmers can operate via a smartphone and works 24 hours a day.

Selected farmers in the U.S. have been testing the tractor since 2019, and one of the features include six cameras with artificial intelligence, that allows it to check its position and stop if it detects an animal or object on the road.

In addition to the custom 8R, John Deere states that cameras and computers for automated tillage can be installed on an existing tractor in just one day. The company will deliver 20 machines this year, with the offer expanding in the coming years, but it remains to be decided whether the new kit will be sold directly, rented or offered as a subscription.

Although John Deere has not announced prices for its autonomous system, company officials expect it to be about 10 percent of the price of the equipment, or about $ 50,000 ($ 333,000) when it becomes available to farmers.