In face of labor crunch in the farming industry, agricultural equipment maker Kubota has proposed the Kubota X Tractor. Kubota X Tractor is a futuristic concept tractor that is electrically powered by a combination of lithium-ion batteries and solar batteries.
It is completely unmanned and leverages on AI to do things like choosing the appropriate operation and actions based on weather and growth rates. Instead of usual wheels with giant knobby tires, Kubota X Tractor Concept Tractor is designed with four independently driven triangular tracks that will allow it to traverse across all kind of terrains.
Furthermore, the vehicle’s body relative to the crawlers can be adjusted to suit the terrain. For example, over terrains that required high traction, the body can be lowered to achieved lower center of gravity and when it needs to get over crops, the body can be raised.
Beyond providing traction, the independent in-wheel motors can rotated at different speeds to allow for very tight turning radius (think: excavator).
Autonomous machinery for agriculture is not new to Kubota, though. The company had, in 2017, AGRIROBO series. What sets the Kubota X Tractor apart are technologies like AI and electrification.
The Kubota X Tractor Concept Tractor was unveiled to commemorate 50 years since the brand’s first-ever concept tractor (pictured below) at the Japan World Exposition in Osaka in 1970.
Images: Kubota.
Source: New Atlas.