Trimble provides real-time, centimeter-level accuracy for Sabanto autonomous tractors

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Sabanto offers retrofits to make machinery autonomous, plus positioning technology from Trimble. | Credit: Sabanto

Farmers can take advantage of increasingly autonomous systems to increase productivity, minimize downtime, and alleviate worker shortages. Trimble Inc. announced that it has integrated its high-accuracy positioning technology with Sabanto Inc.’s autonomous tractor fleet.

Westminster, Colo.-based Trimble said its BX992 Dual Antenna GNSS receiver and satellite-delivered CenterPoint RTX corrections service can provide centimeter-level L-Band corrections to Itasca, Ill.-based Sabanto’s systems nearly anywhere in the world.

This combination can help farmers maintain reliability, minimize input costs, and make full use of autonomous vehicles, said the companies.

Core positioning, modeling, connectivity, and data analytics technologies connect the digital and physical worlds to improve productivity, quality, safety, transparency, and sustainability. | Credit: Trimble

Sabanto and Trimble work to accelerate ag adoption

“In 2022, Trimble Ventures announced an investment with Sabanto focused on autonomous workflows in farming applications,” said Finlay Wood, general manager for off-road autonomy at Trimble, in a release. “This announcement underscores our goal to invest in early and growth-stage companies that are accelerating innovation, digital transformation and sustainability in the industries Trimble serves.”

“It’s exciting to witness how Trimble’s technology and our Trimble Ventures relationship can accelerate the adoption of autonomy in the agriculture industry, as evidenced by this next phase of our collaboration with Sabanto,” he added.

In addition to RTX corrections, the company said it will offer correction stream-switching, enabling farmers to automatically switch from IP to satellite to provide the best signal in every environment.

“With a customer base in agriculture, as well as municipalities and airports with a remote environment, our customers are often in areas without reliable cell service,” said Craig Rupp, founder and CEO of Sabanto. “A reliable correction signal is extremely important to keeping our autonomous machinery working around the clock.”

“It’s exciting to see our two businesses find synergies to improve ag autonomy, delivering a better experience for our farmers through continuous connectivity, regardless of the environment,” he said.

The global market for autonomous tractors could expand from $2.4 billion in 2023 to $7.1 billion by 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24%, according to Markets and Markets. The research firm said drivers include increasing demand for efficiency and sustainability, as well as maturing software and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.