4 ms·
The world and environment for a self driving tractor is so simple compared to any street in the world though. They can rely heavily on GPS for starters and the
by rtkwe 9y ago
The world and environment for a self driving tractor is so simple compared to any street in the world though. They can rely heavily on GPS for starters and the environment/fields are practically blank slates with no other vehicles to really contend with. It'd be surprising if they weren't ahead of the game considering all the advantages to navigating a wide open field with excellent GPS availability.
- LyndsySimon 9y agoNot quite - a failure in automation for a tractor is measured in inches. If you end up driving over crops instead of between them for a pass, the farmer is likely out thousands of dollars. On the highway, at least the obstacles are as big as cars and people. In a field, the obstacles can be a planted row that wasn't even sprouted above the ground yet.
- JoeAltmaier 9y agoFurther, they have other more complex constraints. "Swath control" means continuously adjusting the implement when crossing over already-treated ground (modulating spray nozzles etc to avoid double-treating). Also there are many obstacles in a field -waterways, the occasional tree or post, fences etc. All has to be mapped and accounted for.
- rtkwe 9y agoUltimately it's still driving a predetermined static path through a field with static obstacles with positioning provided by a modified GPS system that improved accuracy by providing additional information about the satellites positions. They've done really good work in their own space but very little of it can really be applied to self driving cars.
- JoeAltmaier 9y agoThe technology is about mechanical modeling (physical parameters of each machine), sensors, response time, path choosing, virtual modeling etc. Because the virtual model is somewhat different, its too quick to dismiss it as 'very little can be applied'.