In Russia an Autonomous Tractor Passes Field Trials
The tests confirmed the reliability of the vehicle’s motion control and equipment management systems.
An autonomous tractor called Dontkh was successfully tested at the proving ground of Don State Technical University, the university’s press service reported.
The innovative vehicle was developed jointly with Rostselmash and Moscow Polytechnic University. Equipped with a hybrid powertrain and a pneumatic control system operated via a tablet, the tractor can perform both agricultural and construction tasks. For municipal use, it can be fitted with a road-sweeping brush. Over a single shift, Dontkh is capable of clearing twice as much area as a conventional tractor.
According to Vladislav Pigenko, director of the Advanced Engineering School at DSTU – the Rostselmash Institute of Advanced Mechanical Engineering, one of the key challenges for developers is ensuring resistance to interference. Specialists are working on technologies that would allow the vehicle to be controlled without internet access or connections to external systems.
Refinement Before Full Deployment
In the future, developers plan to replace the internal combustion engine with an electric motor, install a battery pack, and switch the tractor to remote control via a console.
For now, specialists are testing the prototype’s technical characteristics, driving accuracy, autonomy, and machine vision. Next year, the transition from a series hybrid to a parallel hybrid configuration is expected to make the tractor affordable for small farms.
