Farmertronics was founded in 2012 by Thieu Berkers. Growing up on the farm where his father worked with a horse, and later with a tractor, Thieu found, based on his high-tech background, that the natural next step in farming should be an autonomous tractor.
Literally starting from scratch, he and his team created a high-tech unmanned tractor, called the eTrac. Not only is it environmentally friendly; it also creates free time for the everyday farmer to spend with his family or on new projects. Just imagine the possibilities.
"The eTrac is inspired by my father. There is a strong connection to my youth and also a strong connection to the future. I figured farming can be done much smarter than with a regular tractor," says Thieu Berkers.
Benefits of the autonomous tractor
Based on the same philosophy as a regular tractor, the innovative electric eTrac enables farmers to work remote and save costs in the process.
-Every single component was extensively researched to make sure the tractor was safe and enduring while at the same time being an environmentally-friendly product. The app included allows the farmer to receive notifications and assign the path the eTrac needs to follow, so the farmer can go elsewhere, worry-free.
Weighing only 1000 kg the eTrac is a lightweight tractor which helps prevent soil compaction. It is fully electric making it practically maintenance-free, and by collecting data and giving feedback to the farmer, the farmer gets a precise overview of the harvest further making it a more cost-efficient solution.
Thieu Berkers adds: "You save personnel costs since there’s no driver, and it can go on day and night. Of course, the farmer has to make an investment. However, the payback is only four years. It’s another way of farming. It is more remote as the farmer can check everything from the smartphone or tablet."
Actuator with CAN bus interface for lifting function
Looking for a solution to lift the mowing deck which could easily connect and communicate with other components, Farmertronics chose a LINAK® electric actuator with a CAN bus interface. All the other units on the tractor were already connected through CAN bus, which made it essential that the lifting solution was also CAN bus based. Since it is also a real-time network it makes the system very flexible, so it can easily adapt to changes implemented remotely.
"I chose LINAK because the solution fit really well with our application. Also, LINAK was already successful in agriculture. It’s also a matter of feeling. I can’t exactly say what the difference was, but at a certain moment it was clear to me to go with LINAK," Thieu Berkers explains.
Future steps
Just like any regular tractor, the future-orientated eTrac consists of a base to which agricultural equipment can be attached. Farmertronics is constantly adding new functionalities to it to create more options and to make the tractor even more reliable and precise. In this digitalized world the range of future options is endless, but Farmertronics will start with a sprayer, adding 3D sensors and developing a seeder.
You can read more about Farmtronics at www.farmertronics.com
