AI, artificial intelligence, and automation were two new and interesting themes at Agritechnica. AI is changing many industries, and we have yet to see how it will change agriculture.
The third theme was electrification, which we are more familiar with. Despite ongoing electrification, it will still take time, perhaps up to 10-15 years, for the largest machines to be fully electrified. Battery technology and necessary infrastructure are not yet in place. However, smaller vehicles can be powered electrically already.
When it comes to electrification of systems, manufacturers are pushing to move from hydraulically to electrically controlled systems because it increases precision and benefits the environment, giving us an advantage as we sell high-precision ergonomic electronic joysticks.
With more advanced and smart systems, agriculture will be able to prune and spray plants almost surgically, leading to less waste and a better environment.
John Deere held a seminar on automation and AI. They envision an operator being able to control a fleet of agricultural machines like drones remotely. Each plant will be registered, and the system will remember what is a plant and what is a weed to be controlled.
After a week at Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany, we can say that “Yes, it was worth it”, we made some interesting contacts and learned about the technical advances, but maybe the exhibition was a bit too long?
