Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/924041
farm406 18 innovative tools & equipment • CASE IH Trident 5550 Combo Applicator • MARS: Robot system for planting and accurate documentation Three years ago, AGCO/Fendt launched the MARS project (Mobile Agricultural Robot Swarms) resulting in the development of a robot system for high-precision planting. MARS uses small robots operating in swarms and a cloud-based solution to plan, monitor and accurately document precise planting of various seed. Satellite navigation and data management in the cloud allows operations to be conducted round the clock, with permanent access to all data. The position and planting time of each seed is accurately recorded. Case IH recently unveiled its latest innovation, the Trident 5550 liquid/dry combination applicator. This applicator gives growers and commercial applicators a single piece of machinery that meets the demands of fertilizer and crop-protection applications. The Trident 5550 is an all-new, single-chassis applicator with a new Case IH Aerial Lift Device allowing for a quick conversion from liquid to dry or dry to liquid in as little as 42 minutes. The basic chassis with both liquid and dry options lists for around $400,000. Planning for the required field, for seeds, seed patterns and density is carried out via the MARS app. The intelligent OptiVisor algorithm plans the robot's deployment based on the entered parameters, and calculates the optimal paths for the units involved and the time required for completion of the job. A MARS system consists of some 6–12 units and can therefore cover around 2.47 acres per hour. Each robot is in constant communication with the controller. If a robot fails, the paths of all units are automatically re-optimized, and the remaining robots take over. • Battery-operated, electrical motor produce less CO 2 • No diesel or oil required so, no leakage no local emissions. • Easy to mechanically assemble • No complex sensors • Small size and light weight makes maintenance easier. • Robots work round the clock in conditions conventional machines find difficult. • Robots need 70% less energy to do the same work as conventional machines. https://www.fendt.com//int/fendt-mars.html