Mahindra Showcases First-Ever Driverless Tractors

Mahindra & Mahindra displayed its first ever driverless tractor which has been developed at the Mahindra Research Valley in Chennai. This technology will be deployed across Mahindra tractor platforms in due course of time. It will also be deployed across international markets such as USA and Japan, giving Mahindra tractors a distinct competitive edge in global markets with technological advancement being at the forefront. Mahindra plans to offer the driverless tractor technology across its range of tractors from 20 HP to 100 HP over a period of time.

Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, "Our tractor R & D has always been at the forefront of pioneering cutting edge solutions. Today's display of the driverless tractor is another proud moment for us, as it opens up new possibilities in farming. We are happy to dedicate this innovative mechanization for the global farming community, in line with our Farming 3.0 proposition".

The driverless tractor is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and boasts of several unique features like autosteer which is a GPS based technology that enables a tractor to travel along a straight line. It also has something called the auto-headland turn which helps the tractor to orient itself along adjacent rows for continuous operation without any steering input from the farmer. The auto-implement lift feature in the tractor automatically lifts the work tool from the ground at the end of a row and lowers the tool after the tractor has oriented itself for operation at the next row. And finally, there's the skip passing technology feature which helps the tractor to steer to the next row for continuous operation without any intervention of the driver.

Rajesh Jejurikar, President, Farm Equipment Sector, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, "Today the need for farm mechanisation is higher than ever before, due to labour shortage and the need to improve productivity and farm produce yield. Coupled with our 'DiGiSENSE' technology that we launched last year, the driverless tractor offers a distinct advantage to the Indian farmer by bringing an unprecedented level of intelligence to the tractor".