A Russian Robot Tractor Enters the Fields
The first stage of field trials has been completed at Don State Technical University (DSTU) for Donthech, Russia’s first universal unmanned tractor, marking a significant step toward autonomous and more affordable farming technologies.
How the Donthech Tractor Automates Field Operations
Russia’s first universal unmanned tractor, Donthech, has been developed under the Priority 2030 strategic academic leadership programme and the federal Advanced Engineering Schools initiative. The project is being carried out by Don State Technical University in partnership with the design bureau of Rostselmash and Moscow Polytechnic University.
The tractor features a number of distinctive capabilities. It is equipped with a hybrid powertrain, allowing it to operate on both diesel fuel and electricity. Safety is ensured through a pneumatic emergency braking system. Most importantly, the tractor has its own autonomous control system, enabling operators to monitor and manage the machine remotely using a tablet.
The first stage of field trials was conducted at DSTU’s educational and experimental testing ground.
“The first stage of testing for the Donthech universal unmanned tractor was successful,” said Vladislav Pigenko, Director of the Rostselmash Institute of Advanced Mechanical Engineering, the Advanced Engineering School at DSTU. “We were able to confirm the declared performance of the motion control system and to test, under field conditions, the operation of mounted implements such as a sprayer and a plough. Our next steps include expanding the range of compatible implements and conducting reliability and endurance testing.”
Relying on Domestic Components to Cut Costs and Dependencies
A key advantage of the experimental model is that more than 90 percent of its components are domestically produced. The customer for the development is the Rosspecmash Association, which plans to produce up to 150 unmanned platforms per year by 2035. The total project cost is 30 million rubles (approximately $360,000), with an implementation timeline of four years.
“We want the Donthech tractor to be accessible not only to large agricultural enterprises, but first and foremost to family-run farms,” said DSTU Rector Besarion Meskhi. “At the moment, the production cost of this machine is around 3 million rubles (about $36,000). Of course, serial production will involve some markup, but we are not talking about tens of millions.”
As part of the development process, engineers are also addressing another critical challenge: creating a tractor control system that does not depend on an external internet connection, along with an interference-resistant communication channel. As a result, Donthech is increasingly being described as a true robot tractor.
“Imagine we have a digital map of a field and issue a command for the tractor to work that field according to a specific algorithm,” explained Maxim Kurenskov, an engineer at the Don Engineering Center of DSTU and project leader. “The machine understands not only the trajectory it needs to follow, but also independently decides which implements to use, how deep to work the soil, and at what speed, synchronising with the farm’s overall information system. All of this is managed via a tablet using software that is still under development. However, we have already made significant progress, including a working graphical user interface. In the future, this system will be expanded with machine vision technologies.”
A Robot Tractor With Broad Potential
Donthech is equipped with electric drives for all major units, a machine vision system, and technologies that enable a fully autonomous operating cycle with an autonomy level of at least Level 4. The tractor is compatible with existing agricultural implements and equipment.
During testing, the tractor was used for irrigation, crop protection application, soil cultivation, and other operations. Thanks to precise movement and reduced auxiliary operations, it can cover 1.5 to 2 times more area per shift than conventional machinery. Its autonomous operation makes it well suited to the broader automation trend in agriculture and particularly effective for precision farming systems.
The machine’s potential extends beyond agriculture. The tractor can also be used for construction, road maintenance, and municipal services.
The successful completion of this testing phase represents an important milestone in the development of Russian autonomous agricultural machinery. Further project development, including an expanded range of implements and the integration of advanced artificial intelligence systems, opens up strong market prospects, including internationally, especially in regions facing labour shortages and managing large cultivated areas.
