SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--()--FarmX Autonomy, developer of groundbreaking vision-based vehicle autonomy, announces significant advancements in the deployment of OrchardPilot, its GPS-independent autonomy retrofit for orchards. Since its launch in October 2024, OrchardPilot has excelled in trials and successfully automated tractors from major manufacturers. This milestone highlights the product’s versatility and broad market appeal due to its universal compatibility and precision in GPS-denied environments.

Key Milestones:

  • Universal Compatibility and Quick Installation - Successfully automated John Deere, CNH, and Kubota tractors. One-day installation with minimal disruption.
  • Positive Grower Feedback and Market Testing - Early adopters are excited about significant improvements in operational efficiency, safety, and cost savings from autosteer capabilities.
  • Advancements Toward Full Autonomy - FarmX will introduce additional features like speed control, smart implement control, and full autonomy, further enhancing the capabilities of OrchardPilot. Development of VineyardPilot and FieldPilot for vineyards and row crops remains a top priority.

Accelerating the Path to Vehicle Autonomy:

OrchardPilot offers growers a practical path to true autonomous navigation, regardless of the tractor brand they use. Built on FarmX’s Perceptive Navigation® (“PN”) platform, it performs complex missions without connectivity (no GPS, wi-fi, cellular, base stations, or pre-mapping). The technology suits challenging environments like orchards and GPS-denied crops, addressing efficiency, labor, and safety concerns faced by the specialty crop industry.

“Customers resonate with our vision of improving operational efficiency and safety in orchards and vineyards today,” said Tushar Dave, FarmX CEO. “Upgrading existing tractors with the same automation capabilities as new tractors extends the lifespan of existing fleets and saves significant capital investment. We plan to upgrade the system to offer full automation in other environments as well.”

The industry's growing focus on autonomy is highlighted by recent announcements from major equipment manufacturers. FarmX stands out by offering a rapidly integrated, universally compatible solution, establishing itself as a key player in the agricultural technology market. FarmX is making its technology available to partners and is discussing PN licensing with major tractor manufacturers for various use cases.

​​Learn more about OrchardPilot and upcoming field demos at farmx.ag/orchardpilot.

About FarmX Autonomy:

FarmX Autonomy, the robotics division of FarmX, Inc., is revolutionizing mobile robotics with true autonomy that navigates intuitively, like a human. Through decades of robotics experience and doctoral-level research, the team has solved complex navigation, mission planning, and data collection challenges using advanced perception and on-board AI to navigate any robotic vehicle in the most dynamic, complicated environments.

Perceptive Navigation® is FarmX’s patented, feature-based autonomous robotics platform, which perceives vehicle location relative to semantic features with 2-inch accuracy, maintains global positioning in any environment without relying on GPS or other connectivity, and eliminates the need for detailed surveys, pre-mapping, or fixed infrastructure. Learn more at farmx.ag/autonomy.

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