2 September 2016
RACINE, Wis. (August 30, 2016)— Case IH announced “Rethink
Productivity” as the new tagline for the brand to demonstrate a new focus on
future innovations that help producers achieve High-Efficiency Farming
practices. As a demonstration of this approach, the brand also unveiled a
sleek, new autonomous tractor concept vehicle.
“We’re officially adopting ‘Rethink Productivity’ as our
North American brand tagline because it embodies both our approach to equipment
innovation and our customers’ approach to their operations,” said Tom Dean,
marketing director for Case IH North America. “In today’s ag economy, producers
know they must focus on achieving the highest level of efficiency if they want
to grow and succeed. That’s why we are intensifying our focus on the
combination of advanced technologies and agronomic design in the pursuit of
High-Efficiency Farming.”
Case IH introduced “Rethink Productivity” as the brand’s new
tagline on opening day of the 2016 Farm Progress Show.
As a demonstration of this focus, Case IH also unveiled an
autonomous tractor concept at the 2016 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, that
had been developed by combining the latest in tractor engineering and technology
in development. Prior to the concept vehicle’s unveiling,
company executives presented a video demonstration of the tractor tilling and
planting on land in the southeastern United States earlier this summer.
“As part of our innovation process, we have worked with CNH
Industrial to develop this High-Efficiency Farming concept tractor to
demonstrate what it can do and get a reaction from producers,” said Leo Bose,
Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) marketing manager. “We just want to know how
much interest producers have in these autonomous features, and what else they
would like to see from us. It’s not a product launch, by any means. But it
could certainly lead to one, or several, down the road.”
Although the autonomous concept vehicle was developed in the
form of a cabless tractor, Case IH executives explained that combines or other
equipment would operate on the same technology.
Case IH and CNH Industrial’s Innovation Group based the
cabless autonomous concept on an existing Case IH Magnum™ tractor
with reimagined styling. The vehicle was built for a fully interactive
interface to allow for remote monitoring of preprogrammed operations. The
onboard system automatically accounts for implement widths and plots the most
efficient paths depending on the terrain, obstructions and other machines in
use in the same field. The remote operator can supervise and adjust pathways
via a desktop computer or portable tablet interface.
Through the use of radar, LiDAR (light imaging, detection,
and ranging) and onboard video cameras, the vehicle can sense stationary or
moving obstacles in its path and will stop on its own until the operator,
notified by audio and visual alerts, assigns a new path. The vehicle will also
stop immediately if GPS signal or position data is lost, or if the manual stop
button is pushed. Machine tasks can also be modified in real time with remote
interface or automatic weather warnings.
“An autonomous tractor like this could seamlessly integrate
into an existing farm machinery fleet, with minimal operational changes,” Bose
said. “Multiple autonomous vehicles could be put to work in one field or
separate fields, on the same tasks or consecutive ones. It could allow a person
working with no employees to operate multiple tractors, or could complement very
large operations that have challenges finding ample skilled workers.”
CNH Industrial collaborated with its long-standing
technology provider Autonomous Solutions Incorporated, ASI, a Utah-based
company that is the industry leader in off-road autonomous solutions, in the
development of this concept autonomous technology.
For more information about the latest innovations from Case
IH, visit your Case IH or www.caseih.com.