A combine fills one of Kinze's autonomous grain carts. Photo: Kinze Manufacturing Inc.

by Scott Kesselman

Kinze Manufacturing Inc. announced new developments on the world’s first large-scale, autonomous row-crop solution as three Illinois farmers continued successful testing this fall.



The system can now run multiple combines and autonomous grain carts simultaneously. After a combine operator requests a cart, the system autonomously chooses the most appropriate cart for the operator to unload into. The cart will take the safest and most efficient path to each combine on its own, according to a company press release



Combine operators will also have an aerial view of the field from the tractor cab and side radar sensors for vision on all sides. This enables an operator to see where all of the autonomous grain carts are and navigate the tractor in tight spaces.



The wireless communication network and path-planning software were also updated for increased efficiency.



“By listening to the farmers and testing the autonomous system on their farms, we get a firsthand look into the features and benefits they find valuable,” says Kinze Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Susanne Veatch. “Out goal is to help increase productivity by allowing the farmer to accomplish multiple tasks at once and eliminate the need for skilled labor during harvest time.”



In 2015, Kinze will focus on making sure the system is reliable in many different conditions as it continues its multiyear commercial launch plan.

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