When you hear the word tractor you probably think of big, loud machines that are hard to steer and manage and dangerous to work around.
But that doesn’t have to be the case! Take a look at the new line of electric robot tractors powered by Nvidia AI chips, which can navigate without human assistance, follow paths and avoid obstacles, automatically plant seeds and water them, apply pesticides when needed, and even harvest crops!
Monarch Tractor, an electric tractor company, is rolling off its AI-powered line with its MK-V vehicles.
Livermore-based start-up introduces its first product, using Nvidia’s Jetson Edge AI platform, which facilitates a plethora of tasks and features including enabling the absence of a driver behind the wheel.
“The NVIDIA Jetson enables the MK-V to run low-latency, real-time AI applications while at the same time conserving energy for longer battery life and extended run time,” said Monarch Tractor CEO Praveen Penmetsa.
MK-Vs use six Jetson Xavier NX system-on-modules, which Penmetsa notes is crucial to safety since agricultural environments may lack GPS signals.
Two 3D cameras and six standard cameras capture the environment.
Nvidia launched its Jetson Xavier AI computer and its Isaac developer platform in 2018, the same year that the company was founded.
A Series B investment round raised $61 million by Monarch Tractor in 2021, and the company has since raised over $110 million.
It is collaborating with the company that makes most of Apple’s iPhones and the companies are producing the MK-V at the former GM plant in Lordstown, Ohio.
