You don’t have to look too hard to find innovation in the agri-tech space. Over the last few years, we have seen a myriad of new agricultural robotics companies coming to the market. In the past, we have brought you insights into such companies as Niao, the Small Robot Company, Thorvald, Fendt’s Xavier and the Dino.

All of these companies are at various stages of development, from prototyping to having products commercially available today.

It is unquestionable that the pace of development will only increase, as many actors scramble to assert their technology as the dominant force in agriculture. Time will tell which of these will be successful, but it certainly makes for interesting comparisons when new systems are launched to the general public.

Smart Sprayer.

The latest agri-robotics company to catch our attention was FJDynamics. Its global launch was at the end of September and we tuned in to bring you the main highlights.

FJDynamics

China-based FJDynamics (FJD) is a new player to the global robotics industry, with a focus on artificial intelligence and data. Three years in development, the company now employs more than 800 people worldwide. About 70% of the company’s workforce is focused on research and development.

The company is young, in every sense of the word, as the average age of employees is just 29.

But with a number of key strategic partners, including Microsoft, FJD has big plans for agriculture. It now claims to be the first company to mass produce fully autonomous tractors, sprayers and planters. The company has a global footprint, with six research centres and four global offices located in China, Sweden, the Netherlands and Indonesia.

While the company has a presence in multiple industries, including construction, mining and ports, their product offering in their agriculture portfolio is of particular interest.

The company claims their products are ready for the market, with sales facilitated through its website.

It is currently looking for national dealers, but admitted that launching its product range in 2020 has proven challenging, due to the global pandemic. Here is a selection of its products.

Autosteering kit

Autosteering Kit.

FJD’s autosteering kit is, in many respects, similar to what’s on the market already, if not somewhat behind.

It comprises of antennas, an electric steering wheel, control terminal and a sensor module.

The system can be installed on existing vehicles and can obtain positioning information via satellite navigation, inertial navigation and computer vision to drive in a straight line.

The company describes it as the new brain of agri-robotics. This is because the upgraded version of the kit, which uses the same control terminal, is capable of transforming the tractor into a fully autonomous vehicle.

In full-autonomous mode, the autosteering kit takes control of the whole vehicle and operates according to a pre-planned path, which is done before the vehicle starts.

The system claims to fully integrate with the vehicle and has control of the accelerator, brake, clutch and gearbox.

In this mode, more sensors, such as the vision camera and millimetre-wavelength radar, will need to be installed for obstacle detection and avoidance.

However, it does suggest that the operator still sits in the vehicle and monitors the operation.

Autonomous tractor

Autonomous tractor.

The FJD autonomous tractors range from the eight-gear F2000 series (40-60hp) to the 16-gear F7000 (180-220hp) in size.

They are equipped with technology such as navigation, video-transmission, computer vision technology and automatic control algorithms to allow full autonomy.

The tractors feature a new electronic control gearbox, developed by FJD, allowing for electronic gear shift. The tractors also feature a new electronic control lifting system, to automatically adjust cultivation depth. Smart Sprayer

The Smart Sprayer is a small, lightweight sprayer capable of applying crop protection products autonomously. The machine is equipped with section control, four wheel drive and steering, boom height adjustment, IoT technology and boasts a simple user interface. With the addition of some accessories, it can be equipped to apply liquid fertiliser.

The sprayer can either be used on manual mode, remote control mode, or full autonomous driving mode.

Comment

We see a lot of new agri-tech companies coming to the market, like FJDynamics, all promising to deliver the next green revolution in agriculture. Perhaps only a handful may actually stay the course to become a realistic and beneficial option for farmers.

The question then turns to whether we will see farmer adoption of this new technology. I firmly believe we will, if the economics stack up. Farmers, by their nature, are innovative and willing to explore new technologies.

However, the real question should be – how will policymakers respond to this changing landscape? Will we see a recognition of the role automation has in meeting our stringent farm sustainability ambitions, or will this technology be deemed too disruptive to established systems and fall by the wayside, just as many others have?

If we are to have a future in farming, Europe and Ireland need to be leaders, not laggards, when it comes to facilitating agricultural innovation and robotics.

Policy must move with technological innovation if European farmers are to be able to compete on the global stage.