John Deere Let Me Drive A Tractor with a Phone 1,300 Miles Away

The Power of Remote Control: A Live Look at John Deere's Tractor

We're getting a live look at John Deere's tractor in Austin, Texas, right now as it tills the fields. The cameras are this, and that's the controls, and this is the job being done. It's amazing to think about how a 50,000-pound machine like this can be controlled from anywhere, even 1,300 miles away. The work plan and route have already been set up, but at any point, I could take over remotely using my cell phone from Las Vegas. This is what it looks like - the app, where I can pause or resume the job, get a real-time feed of how things are going, change other factors, such as infield speed or turn speed.

This technology would be a game-changer for farmers who might be busy with another job or labor is in short supply. It frees up their time to do other things, allowing them to focus on more important tasks. John Deere is putting machine learning smarts into all aspects of crop production, and this is just one example of how they're using technology to improve farming practices.

Take a look at this piece of planter machinery, where you can see new technology being added - a camera called Furo Vision that ensures the trench dug up by the machine is correct. If anything goes wrong, the farmer will find out about it through this camera system. This level of precision and monitoring is crucial for farmers to ensure their crops are healthy and thriving.

But what's really exciting here is the potential for increased efficiency and reduced chemicals used in farming. Take a look at this carbon fiber boom that sprays chemicals like pesticides - cameras on this boom can quickly identify weeds and just spray weed killer where it's needed, cutting down on 60 to 70% of chemicals used.

This machine would be perfect for harvesting cotton and putting all the cotton into a giant bale. Data is being collected at every step to help farmers see what they can adjust next season to improve their crop yield. This data also helps track exactly where a crop winds up, so retailers can say their shirts were made from cotton grown using sustainable farming practices.

It's mind-blowing to think about how this technology will change the way we produce and consume food. With all this cool tech out here, I'm definitely going to have to learn how to drive one of these machines next year - it would be a great hands-on learning experience! Let us know what you think in the comments - is this the future of farming?