The future of agriculture, according to Kubota
To celebrate the brand’s 130th anniversary, Kubota presented a series of innovative prototypes with electric motors, from the gardening sector to the earthmoving sector, during an event held on January 15th and 16th in Kyoto showing the Japanese brand’s vision of the agriculture of the future. The spotlights were turned towards the X Tractor (Cross Tractor) - inspired by the Drem Tractor that Kubota presented at the Japanese World Exhibition in Osaka in 1970 – a fully electric autonomous tractor, equipped with artificial intelligence, using a combination of batteries lithium-ion and solar panels positioned on the roof of the vehicle. Since the launch of AGRIROBO tractors in 2017, Kubota has expanded the range of highly automated machinery for agriculture and now presents this conceptual model equipped with futuristic technologies. Taking into consideration information such as weather data and the growth rate of the crop, the AI (Artificial Intellingence) chooses the most suitable function and intervenes promptly. The data collected by the machinery while operating can be automatically shared with other vehicles on-site to achieve efficient and coordinated operation from a management center.
The X Tractor is a four-wheeled multifunctional tracked machinery that helps maintain stable autonomous driving even in paddy fields full of water and on uneven lands. The shape of the tracks can be changed so as to maintain the height of the tractor at the optimal level. If high traction is required, the area of contact with the ground can be increased by lowering the tractor and therefore its center of gravity. On the contrary, when working on cultivated fields, the distance from the ground can be adjusted by increasing the height of the tractor. Finally, an electric engine in the wheel makes it possible to change the rotation speed of the four tracks at any time to obtain a very narrow turning radius and operate on different types of lands.
