The aim of planting machine is to reduce the burden on farmers by reducing the need for manpower in the process of planting rice.
Kubota Corp. has recently announced that it will release a rice-planting machine with automated driving functions in October.
The purpose of the first such machine in the industry is to reduce the burden on farmers by reducing the need for manpower in the process of planting rice.
The rice planter first creates a map of the rice field using GPS while being driven by a human around the perimeter of the field. It will then calculate its rice-planting route based on the map and automatically plant rice seedlings, according to the major Japanese agricultural machinery-maker.
A human driver is not necessary in the planting process, but the machine does need to be monitored by a person with a remote controller. Rice-planting is usually done by two people — one to drive a planting machine and an assistant to keep it filled with seedlings. The automated rice-planter reduces the number of people needed for the process to one as the person monitoring the machine can also refill it with seedlings.
Demand for self-driving farming machinery is high because of manpower shortages and the aging of farmers. Kubota has already launched tractors and combine harvesters with self-driving functions.
Autonomous tractor
Kubota has recently unveiled a futuristic concept autonomous tractor called the X-tractor. The battery-powered, tracked machine was first shown at a new product exhibition in Kyoto City, Japan.
In a press release, Kubota claims the concept is a zero-emission vehicle, using a combination of lithium-ion and solar batteries. The company claims artificial intelligence allows for “stable autonomous driving, even on wet paddies and uneven terrains.”
The X-tractor can change height to either lower the center of gravity or raise the operating platform above crops.
The X-tractor unveiling comes 50 years after Kubota unveiled its first concept, the Dream Tractor exhibited at the Japan World Exposition in Osaka in 1970. According to the Kubota press release, the Dream Tractor boasted “superior functionality, great driver comfort and easier operability.”
