Agri Technology News: High-tech tractors cultivate a sustainable future.

To incorporate sophisticated technologies aimed at producing more food with less environmental impact, the face of traditional farming is rapidly changing. Product development firm Cambridge Consultants is using its expertise to design innovative, low-cost solutions for the farming industry to support the influx of technology. For a detection system to help agricultural vehicles avoid collisions, its latest device draws on its background in advanced radar technology.

The Health and Safety Executive says that, accidents involving agricultural vehicles are the leading cause of farming deaths in the UK. The risk of collisions with unexpected obstacles increases as farmers load their tractors with more and more automation technology – like auto-steer mechanisms and GPS tracking for precision farming. By protecting the perimeters of the vehicle from potential hazards, giving audible and visual warnings to the driver, the new radar system helps prevent this collisions.

The programme director at Cambridge Consultants, Gary Kemp said “We have identified a huge demand for this type of agricultural technology as we see a continued increase in advanced farming techniques in the face of impending population growth and food shortages. We’ve created practical technology that’s simple to operate and install but is also low cost and incredibly effective.”

The radar units are designed to be installed on the front and rear of a vehicle as well as on the boom ends, and can detect multiple collision hazards in a wide field of view which maximises coverage. The technology can process many different moving and stationary obstacles and instantly send an alert to the driver to warn of a potential collision. The low-frequency (5.8GHz) system is based on standard manufacturing principles, making it a cost-effective solution.

Facts & figures of Use of Radar Technology in Tractors are as follows:
1. The patented short-range radar technology provides unbeatable performance from a compact, low-cost sensor.

2. The sensor simultaneously tracks multiple objects in 3D over a wide field of view and up to 30m range

3. Real-time collision prediction algorithm identifies hazards early, giving the driver ample time to take avoiding action

Source: http://www.cambridgeconsultants.com/