JOHN DEERE OPENS UP AUTONOMOUS VISION TECH

John Deere Electronics has announced it is making its Vision Processing Unit (VPU) available to European machine builders and OEMs, giving manufacturers access to the same vision-based computing platform used in the company's See & Spray technology.

The hardware is designed to support autonomous and semi-autonomous machinery by processing camera data on-board in real time, enabling applications such as navigation, obstacle detection and situational awareness without relying on cloud-based computing.

Originally developed for agricultural use, Deere says the VPU has been engineered for harsh outdoor environments, featuring an IP67-rated enclosure and an air-cooled design that eliminates the need for liquid cooling or internal fans. It also supports multiple high-resolution camera inputs and standard machine communication protocols, including CAN and Ethernet.

The manufacturer says the technology is suitable for a wide range of sectors beyond agriculture, including construction, forestry, mining, robotics, material handling and other specialist vehicles. The system will be available in several configurations, allowing OEMs to select the level of computing performance needed for their application.

Kerry Koisti, business development at John Deere Electronics, said the company has a history of developing its own technology where suitable commercial solutions do not exist. "Once it's in production, we consider offering it to other OEMs as hardware, providing tried and tested technology with John Deere quality and robustness, and enabling innovation in new applications," he said.

Kerry continued, "The VPU is really rugged and has been developed to solve a real-world challenge. The flexibility of the system is pretty incredible in terms of types of problems it can solve and it builds on decades of knowledge and experience in outdoor mobile machinery.

"We believe lots of European companies could benefit from this technology. The VPU enables real-time decision-making in the field and we provide expert guidance to ensure smooth integration with their systems."