Thought on Autonomous Vehicle Driving in Australia

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by Malewithatail

Whilst a lot are autonomous, many still are not, but for most reasonably modern gear, upgrade kits are available. yes, they rely heavily on GPS to work out where they are, and the early ones didn't have forward or rear radar, so would run over someone if they were not awake.


Most people have no idea just what it takes to grow food, and with the drive on for meatless products, the situation can only get harder. They think that they can just throw some seed out, flick dirt over it with their boot, and a few days later up comes food. Are they in for a shock WTSHTF !



From personal experience, John Deere charges $500/hr for a telephone chat re any issues, then $1,000/hr on site. Large scale food growing isn't cheap, but in a world of 7 billion, someone has to do it !


Wish it was that easy, feet up, listening to music, but dragging a planter which is 30 meters wide behind the tractor takes a lot of concentration, just looking at all those seed drills and plough plates.


The voltage drop over a long enough cable would be really bad, even if done at 3,300 volts or more, not to mention the extra drag on the machinery pulling 10 km cable behind, and the tangling potential. The drive is for automation on these large scale farms, so lot of individual small machines, with their associated maintenance wouldn't be cost effective.


The tow locomotives on the Panama Canal only operate in one dimension, in a basically straight line, and most now use a series of bus-bars to carry the power, not cables.


The one application for an electric tractor could be the small scale farm, in the 40 hp range, say an orchadist. 25 kw is doable, especially as its not needed continuously usually.


Meanwhile, a gasifier allows me to run a generator from wood, which is a 100% renewable resource, so I'm OK mate.

How do you know multiple smaller units would not be cost effective..your statement is off the top of your head without reference to smaller units as they dont exist in this context so your are merely expressing an unsupported opinion.

Same as drag you don't know as there is nothing to look at to determine if drag could not be overcome but if that is an issue then just put in over head power lines like trams...cheap and efficient.

Given the extraordinary fees for fixing the current machinery the current approach seems un necessarily expensive...

It is easy to grow food and will become easier when we move past the current inefficient internal combustion engines and go fully electric...I must look up the numbers but I suspect an electric motor is much more efficient than an internal combustion engine.

AND on that note why a gasifer? Just go electric...solar panels..wind generator ..batteries..and if you want a generator go diesel with canola oil ...Diesel invented his engine so as to run on canola oil.

Anyways new modern farm machinery does not need the attention that the machine you talk about requires...the owner just needs to update it maybe consider something electric and leave the high call fees behind...electric is the way forward.
Alex

[Malewithatail (Dick)]

Most people have no idea of the complexity of modern farm machinery. Just the code for the engine/transmission computer is over 100,000 lines long. Basically unfix-able. Something goes wrong, software update needed.


Add in the auto steering mode, auto braking and navigation and its truly daunting. Even the steering motor has a microprocessor built into it, as I found out when repairing a issue last month. Indeed, each wheel has its own microprocessor and sensors to tell pressure and travel etc.


In relation to multiple smaller units, it hasn't been done, why ? Maybe the labor costs, and in agriculture, bigger is better, more reach, more production for the same inputs.


The sun doesn't always shine, nor does the wind always blow, hence a backup energy source will be needed.


Poles and wires in a paddock, imagine trying to steer a 30 or 40 meter wide boom around power poles spaced at 30 meter intervals. Insane idea, brought on by looking through the wavering end of a beer bottle to often.

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by Malewithatail

Most people have no idea of the complexity of modern farm machinery. Just the code for the engine/transmission computer is over 100,000 lines long. Basically unfix-able. Something goes wrong, software update needed.


Add in the auto steering mode, auto braking and navigation and its truly daunting. Even the steering motor has a microprocessor built into it, as I found out when repairing a issue last month. Indeed, each wheel has its own microprocessor and sensors to tell pressure and travel etc.


In relation to multiple smaller units, it hasn't been done, why ? Maybe the labor costs, and in agriculture, bigger is better, more reach, more production for the same inputs.


The sun doesn't always shine, nor does the wind always blow, hence a backup energy source will be needed.


Poles and wires in a paddock, imagine trying to steer a 30 or 40 meter wide boom around power poles spaced at 30 meter intervals. Insane idea, brought on by looking through the wavering end of a beer bottle to often.

0

What a terrible response to my arguement with a terrible and untruthful character assination.

Obviously I am presenting so many good points you must resort to punching below the belt...well it wont work...Let me ask you this...how old is the machine you are talking about?
it new or second hand? Is it anything like the unit Glen is talking about?

Placing poles in a field something that is not possible you say on the one hand but you also say anything is possible. What is it to be? I can list probably a thousand engineering feats must harder than putting in a few posts and suggest your negativity is just that you dont want change and cant see a future beyond the internal combustion engine.

You should appologise for suggesting that I am a victim of the demon drink..shame on you.

Alex

[Malewithatail (Dick)]

If you are so sure of yourself, fork out the cash, buy a few dozen small electric tractors, a few hundred battery's and chargers and prove yourself right, until then I'm sticking with what works, may not be the most efficient way to do things, but proven to work under most conditions.

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by Malewithatail

If you are so sure of yourself, fork out the cash, buy a few dozen small electric tractors, a few hundred battery's and chargers and prove yourself right, until then I'm sticking with what works, may not be the most efficient way to do things, but proven to work under most conditions.

It is not a case of proving me right ...everyone knows I am right...and do you think I am so shallow I would buy all that stuff just to prove I am right? No way. And very few would disagree that the electric motor is more efficient than any internal combustion engine and it is that efficiency difference that finally will see internal combustion shelved...just like steam power...great at the time but I am thinking of the bright future ahead of us with say 20 billion humans all working to leave the planet that has been ruined by fossil fuels...

Perhaps the machine you are working with is now relatively old ..things get old real quick because tech changes so fast.... and efficiency in any business is what reflects profitability...less efficient means less profit...

In any event I think the new machines are delivering the dream that Glen referred to...the world is getting better by the day so the machines we will see as each year passes will be better and better as everything is...have a great weekend and hope to see you next week...

Alex

[Malewithatail (Dick)]

Pity we haven't got that much time left......

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by Malewithatail

Pity we haven't got that much time left......

Maybe for you and me as we are humans of advanced years we don't have that much time certainly however there is plenty of time for the young bright folk coming thru ...I have seen so much change ( for the better) in my 76 years I cant imagine how great it will be in another 76 years with all the improvements in health, economics and education... we are ready to welcome in Utopia ...maybe in my lifetime.

Alex

[glend (Glen)]

As an old dodger standing at the counter at the RTA waiting to take my drivers eye test, I did consider the merits of an autonomous driver vehicle, should I be banned (which is really a matter of time now).
Perhaps we need a new probationary plate for autonomous driven vehicles.

[Malewithatail (Dick)]

We are the last generation.

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by Malewithatail

We are the last generation.

Not me I have children and grand children and as such can not be called the last generation...so you are at least two generations out for a start even before we ask "why would you say such a thing?"....which I won't..don't let things get you down everything is fine in fact the world is a better place now than ever before in history and you only have to look at statistics on crime, poverty, life expectancy, starvation, etc...really go back two hundred years and tell me things were better...cheer up and get ready for the coming utopia...self driving cars and more good food than we can eat, plus personal assistant robots to shine your shoes and take out the garbage..I can't wait.


Like Glen I am at that stage where in the near future an autonomous vehicle will be needed...And thank goodness I live in a wonderful time in history where such magic will be common place....

Alex