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In September 2023, Trimble announced an agreement to form a joint venture (JV) with AGCO “to better serve farmers with factory fit and aftermarket applications in the mixed fleet precision agriculture market.” I discussed the announcement with David Britton, vice president of product management, Trimble Agriculture.

Your press release says “Trimble and AGCO’s shared vision is to create a global leader in mixed fleet, smart farming, and autonomy solutions.” What does mixed fleet mean in this context?

That’s focused on the farmers’ ability to use any brand of tractor or implement together. As you can imagine, there are multiple OEMs in the market. One of the beliefs that Trimble’s had, and that AGCO shares, and why this JV makes sense, is that the farmers’ decisions around what technology they use and the way that their farms operate shouldn’t be inextricably tied to the brand of tractor that they use.

So, they could use an AGCO tractor, but with a GNSS receiver that’s not from Trimble or vice versa?

More so that on their farm they could have equipment from AGCO and other OEMs. In many cases, they’ll have more than one tractor and multiple different implements.

Those machines can talk to each other and share the data.

Ideally, yes.

What will be the division of labor between Trimble and AGCO? How will the interface work?

The JV will not be involved with any of the tractor manufacturing, which will stay within AGCO. We’re going to be focused on the precision ag technology that will go into the tractor, help manage the implements, and complete the work, as well as the data systems that underpin that.

Currently, Trimble Ag has capabilities on embedded display software that are used to help manage activities in the field and steer the vehicle. We also have cloud software that allows farmers to manage their information and data and work with other people in their ecosystem, as well as many other things. That’s all going into the JV. Trimble will supply GNSS technology to the JV, which is a foundation to enable geolocating the information in the activities.

Then you have JCA Industries [which AGCO acquired in 2022] that has been focused on implement control and autonomy. So, the two businesses are complementary. They are coming together to focus on higher technology components and then work with both AGCO as well as other manufacturers and the aftermarket to deliver smart farming and autonomy solutions into the farm to help farmers run their businesses and farms more efficiently.

Tell me more about the aftermarket.

One of the key things that we’ve seen historically, and we expect the trend to continue, is that you’ll see innovation happen in the aftermarket first, because it gives a chance to rapidly iterate and learn before you go through the process of putting it into the factory. We expect that we’ll have a very healthy aftermarket business, as well as a portion of the business where our technology will be factory-fit into machines from both AGCO and other manufacturers, because that’s been an important part of the Trimble business. Being able to work with other OEMs to provide important technologies will be a part of that story.

Are you still expecting the deal to close in the first half of 2024?

That’s still the target.

Will the JV sell anything or will it be totally transparent to the user?

The JV will have its own channel to the aftermarket, as well as people working with OEMs from a sales perspective. In terms of branding, that’s something that’s being evaluated right now. Ultimately, the JV will have a channel to the aftermarket and we also have our own relationships with OEMs through which we will continue to sell. So, the end customers should be aware that they’re purchasing technology that has been built by the JV.

Under a name or branding that is still to be determined?

Yes.

Over time, the JV will become the main way for Trimble to sell its precision ag equipment.

Correct. Trimble will go into the ag market primarily through the JV.

Will Trimble also continue to sell to other OEMs other than AGCO?

Trimble will sell ag equipment to other ag OEMs via the JV.

Does that mean that AGCO, through the JV, will sell equipment to some of its competitors?

My understanding is they already have businesses that do that currently. Their Precision Planting business works with other OEMs as well as other businesses that they’ve brought into the AGCO family. So, it’s not new for AGCO to have a part of the business that is selling to OEMs in some ways. Trimble has some experience with that as well.

We recognize that it’ll be important for our customers to trust that their data is being managed appropriately. That said, it’s a great way for other OEMs to have access to scale. As we talk about what needs to happen for precision ag to realize the opportunity that comes with technology, scale is going to become increasingly important, which I think is a part of why this JV is so exciting for both Trimble and AGCO. Ultimately, it should be exciting for farmers as well because it’s going to create a very well scaled business that can help provide technology very effectively.

Who will collect, aggregate, analyze, and control the data? How will farmers access it?

We’ll continue to work with the end customers and to find ways that we can ensure that they have the right access to and ownership of their data, while also looking for ways that we can use anonymized data to enhance product functionality.

Is that an opt in or an opt out?

The JV’s policy on that has not been determined yet.

For which crops or scenarios do you expect the greatest adoption of the JV’s technology?

There are places where you see the adoption of precision ag technology more than others, in terms of larger scale farms and high value crops. Ultimately, we take pride in being a global business, which means that we’re thinking about all areas of the globe, as well as multiple crop types. So, every region has crops that are particularly important to it. We try very much to build solutions that fit those local markets, while also leveraging what we can from a scale perspective. There isn’t one particular crop type or one particular region that dominates our thinking at this point.

Trimble has its RTX correction service. Does AGCO have its own?

Trimble will keep RTX but also make it available to the JV and to AGCO, which does not have its own solution. So, RTX is a very good fit. That’s one of the benefits you see in the JV. We’ve already been working with them from an RTX perspective on receivers that we’ve provided. So, we’re more excited to continue that through the JV.

Will the JV come up with any new tiers for corrections?

The JV will work with Trimble to come up with what’s right for the market. As you’ve seen RTX evolve over the years, we’ll continue that process working with Trimble to figure out the right tiers and the right solution for what the farmers need.

Precision agriculture — which enables growers to reduce inputs of water, fertilizers and pesticides by matching them to variations in soil conditions, thereby reducing environmental impacts, increasing yields and productivity, and reducing fuel consumption — is a prime use case for global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). While the typical open sky conditions in the fields minimize concerns about signal occultation and multipath, the accuracy requirements for this practice, particularly for certain crops and planting techniques, can be very high. Challenges for receivers often include severe roll and pitch due to bumpy terrain, the requirement to maintain exact heading at very low speeds, and the need to receive corrections over very large areas.

Precision agriculture began more than 30 years ago — GPS World published a few issues of a special supplement on the subject about 25 years ago — and now all tractors from major manufacturers come equipped with a GNSS-based guidance system. Adoption has increased hand-in-hand with improvements in enabling technologies. These include satellite-based and ground-based sensors, UAVs, geographic information systems (GIS), and a plethora of GNSS corrections services (see “Corrections Services Abound” in our January 2023 issue and “Understanding GNSS Correction Methods” on p. 28 of our January 2024 issue).

In this cover story, we present three recent developments in precision agriculture:

u-blox has partnered with Nordian Positioning Solutions to expand coverage of the PointPerfect GNSS correction service to Brazil.

The collaboration aims to facilitate precise positioning for various applications, with a focus on high-precision agriculture, service robots, machinery automation, micro-mobility and emerging automotive applications, such as lane-accurate navigation and telematics.

PointPerfect is designed to provide centimeter-level accuracy and achieve convergence in seconds with 99.9% uptime reliability. The service ensures uniform coverage across the globe. Notably, PointPerfect’s recently introduced Localized Distribution feature is intended to reduce user data costs by using 90% less data than typical network real-time kinematic (RTK) services. This combination of low-bandwidth data stream and flexible service plans offers easy scalability for future needs.

YellowScan has released its new bathymetric lidar system, the YellowScan Navigator.

The environmental hazards of climate change have an impact on human activities and infrastructure, such as drier seasons or heavy rains and flooding rivers. Precisely mapping both waterbed and land is required for monitoring, modeling and mitigating coastal erosion and flood hazards and for understanding biodiversity habits.

YellowScan Navigator is designed for surveyors to map underwater topography, in rivers, ponds and coastal areas.

The system features a laser scanner developed in-house over the course of five years and has been heavily tested to achieve optimal performance. The compact system can map waterbeds with a depth of up to three meters and can reach a depth of 18 meters in perfectly clear water conditions, according to the company. It can be flown up to 100m above the water surface and provides measurements with a precision accuracy of 3 cm. Additionally, a camera is embedded to offer true-color data visualization.

A UK judge just jailed a student for building a UAV. How could that be? Well, the 3D-printed UAV built by a guy in his room at home was only part of the story. It turns out that his jailing was perhaps more related to his connection to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and his apparent intent to use this UAV loaded with explosives or a chemical weapon to attack ISIS enemies.

The experts who analyzed the vehicle stated that it was only partially built and appeared somewhat ‘primitive’ in its construction. It would seem that an explosive charge or chemical weapon would need to be located with its fusing circuitry at the front end of the UAV, and maybe the enclosure was rather an access panel to aid the build process.

It is unclear whether the protruding black item towards the front of the UAV is either a GNSS or communications antenna. This antenna would normally be placed on the upper skin and relatively close to the autopilot or comms radio. It is possible that there is a communications/control signal antenna at the top of the vertical stabilizer. Rudimentary landing gear can be seen aft of the control surfaces of the wing, but the rear propulsion does not appear adequate for the size of the vehicle. Not a bad attempt to create an amateur UAV, but a pretty bad idea for the guy involved to intend it to be a kamikaze, one-way drone for ISIS — he received a 20-year sentence.

Both Russia and Ukraine continue to churn out new models of one-way UAVs, which they enthusiastically hurl at one another. Russia unveiled a new swarm drone known as ‘Product 53’ which apparently has the ability to seek and identify targets autonomously.

With a payload of only 3-5 kg it cannot inflict severe damage on major targets, but the plan is apparently to bombard an area with large numbers of Product 53 controlled as a swarm.

So, Russia’s latest software-driven, sophisticated kamikaze UAV is a far cry from the primitive, partially constructed, 3D-printed UAV which lead a UK court to jail its constructor. Much more was obviously made of his encrypted online contacts with ISIS and his intent to inflict potential death and destruction on behalf of a terrorist group.

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On a far brighter note, a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project known as Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE), which first went out to industry for proposals back in 2021, has now moved into Phase 3 build and manufacture following a successful Phase 2 Critical Design Review (CDR).

Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company subsidiary, has been authorized to begin building a 7000 lb X-wing manned/unmanned aircraft. The aircraft is intended to prove out a design for aerodynamic control without the use of moving surfaces.

Elevators, flaps, slats and rudders on conventional modern aircraft require significant internal hydraulics and/or cabling and actuators throughout the airframe, which add to the complexity, and potential failure modes, aerodynamic drag and weight. Most current UAVs emulate these flight control systems and use external control surfaces.

The DARPA X-Wing aircraft may use compressed air jets or even electrical discharges emitted at critical actuation points along its outer surface to ‘gently push’ the aircraft from its existing path through the airstream, which allows the remote pilot to maneuver the aircraft. Known as Active Flow Control (AFC) this technology has been prototyped to one extent or another in recent years, but this DARPA/Aurora project aims to prove the concept.

For the demonstration aircraft, normal moving control surfaces will be installed and retained. The aircraft will initially be flown using these standard airflow controls to form a baseline for how the aircraft performs. The control surfaces will then be locked down and the aircraft will be flown using AFC, and the performance will be compared to the standard controls baseline.

Understandably, the earlier phases of the project likely worked through the required control systems for the unique X-wing configuration. Aurora may have been well positioned to provide such flight control systems, autopilot and software from its store of Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) technology — the basis for the operation of autonomous air vehicles.

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Building illicit UAVs intended for terrorism may not be one of the best academic projects to undertake when you’re an ISIS supporter; Russia and Ukraine appear to be in a race to mass produce ever more sophisticated UAVs; and DARPA/Aurora appear to be headed to a relatively heavy prototype air vehicle demonstrating not only X-Wing technology, but also active flight control. Overall, there is a variety of news on UAVs in various configurations and applications.

OxTS has introduced the RT3000 v4 GNSS inertial measurement unit (IMU).

By combining two survey-grade GNSS receivers with OxTS’ latest IMU10 inertial technology, the RT3000 v4 offers uninterrupted position, orientation and dynamics in challenging environments.

The IMU will reach the desired specification within three minutes of low dynamic movements, which reduces the time and space required for high dynamic maneuvers before each data collection.

Users can customize the INS with optional features and software integrations to create the ideal INS for individualized projects, including lidar surveying and mapping or positioning in GNSS-denied or challenged environments.

Septentrio has launched the AntaRx smart antenna designed for machine automation and control in construction, precision agriculture and logistics.

The smart antenna is enclosed in a rugged and compact housing for simplified installation. It can handle high levels of shocks and vibrations which makes it ideal for harsh industrial environments such as construction and mining.

The multi-frequency receiver offers centimeter-level real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning and can be used in inertial navigation system (INS) integration, dual antenna mode and 4G cellular communication. It is available in several configurations, including as a GNSS smart antenna or a GNSS/INS smart antenna system and can be integrated as an inertial measurement unit (IMU).

AntaRx is the latest addition to Septentrio’s machine control GNSS receiver portfolio. The receiver technology integrates the company’s GNSS+ algorithms, including advanced multipath mitigation, which offers uninterrupted operation in challenging conditions such as near high structures or machinery.

Point One Navigation has been selected by the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) to provide real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections technology to all autonomous racing cars at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The Polaris RTK network offers centimeter-accurate location services, which makes autonomous racing at high speeds possible. IAC race cars often exceed 180 mph and require precise location data for safe high-performance racing. The IAC chose Point One Navigation based on the company’s proven record in delivering precise location data to users through its RTK technology.

Point One Navigation’s RTK technology is now available for a wide range of autonomous applications — including UAVs, robots, construction and farm equipment, and autonomous cars and trucks.

The race takes place on Thursday, Jan. 11 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For more information, visit the IAC website.

NV5 Geospatial’s thermal infrared (TIR) solutions for transportation infrastructure challenges are now being used in transportation projects to analyze concrete bridges in the Midwest.

This remote sensing technology offering enables local and regional transportation agencies to identify structural problems well before they reach the surface of concrete bridge decks.

Concrete bridge decks require periodic inspections for continuous maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement work. TIR is used in non-destructive inspection techniques for analyzing concrete bridge decks and identifying potential delamination. This process is made more efficient with aerial collection.

The company recently conducted two separate pilot projects with two Midwestern states’ departments of transportation using aerial data collection to identify thermal anomalies of potential delamination for 200 bridge concrete surfaces. Both projects were completed by flying a fixed-wing aircraft at a low elevation with the thermal sensor mounted to its floor. The flights were conducted without ground-based support.

NV5 Geospatial’s project design focuses on optimal timing and resolution to maximize thermal contrast, which ensures accurate detection of features or patterns of interest. The acquired thermal imagery is orthorectified to create a seamless mosaic for each bridge. TIR imagery can be co-acquired with other airborne technologies, such as true color imagery and lidar, to provide supplementary information.

The TIR aerial solution allows users to capture up to 100 bridges in a single day and offers a detailed and short turnaround of data analysis. It identifies potential issues before ground truthing is required and supports state-wide inspection prioritizations.

ANELLO Photonics has released the ANELLO X3, its 3-axis optical gyroscope inertial measurement unit (IMU) designed for GPS-denied and challenging environments.

The IMU leverages ANELLO SiPhOG (Silicon Photonics Optical Gyroscope) technology and serves as a light, low-power tri-axial optical gyroscope offering high accuracy, performance and reliability for autonomous applications.

The ANELLO X3 can be used in a variety of applications, including autonomous commercial and defense applications involving robots, UAVs, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and various maritime and land vehicle applications, including high-accuracy surveying and mapping.