Raven’s Trio of Products To Pave the Path To Autonomy

Raven continues to promote its Path to Autonomy for farmers to consider autonomous technology as a journey, rather than a destination.

This fall, the company has unveiled three products that meet farmers where they are on their path and help them with the next level of adoption.

• Pre-sale launch of Raven Cart Automation
• DirecSteer Electric Steering
• Augmenta integration with the Raven Sense & Act suite of products

Ben Voss, Raven’s director of sales, says this trio of innovations represents the different stages of automation on the farm.

“Every farmer has different needs and existing equipment,” Voss says. “We want all growers to benefit from autonomous technology to become more efficient, productive and profitable. Fall is a great time of year for farmers to think about where they are, and where they can be and want to be.”

Raven Cart Automation

Now available for pre-order, Raven Cart Automation was previously named and in development as   Driver Assist Harvest solution. This technology provides autonomous unload on-the-go by syncing the cart’s heading and speed with the combine. 

Systems will be delivered at the beginning of 2024. Voss says the company has been running a robust test system, including ongoing field work with beta customers through this harvest.

“Raven Cart Automation gives two way communication between the combine and a Case IH or a New Holland tractor. It allows the combine operator to engage the system to take over the propulsion steering of the tractor and lock its path with the combine for unloading. Then, the tractor operator can take back over when the unloading is complete,” he says.

The system can sync up to six grain cart and combine systems in one operation. Raven Cart Automation is compatible with most MY20 or newer Case IH and New Holland tractors with CVT/PST transmission. And the system is compatible with all Case IH Axial Flow 240 and 250 model combines and New Holland CR6.80, CR6.90, CR7.80, CR7.90, CR8.90, CR9.90, CR10.90 combines with a common cab.

Raven Cart Automation will be available via Case IH and New Holland dealers.

DirecSteer Electric Steering

Designed as the next generation of Raven’s electric steering wheels for aftermarket installation, DirecSteer brings more compatibility across tractor platforms and more robust performance.

“This product performs well at high speeds, and it can power the steering wheel with a lot more force,” Voss says. “While it’s not a new idea to bring forward this type of product, this is a necessary tool for many farmers as they are looking at their path to autonomy and overall technology use.”

He continues, “You can’t do autonomy without extremely reliable steering control.”

The DirecSteer system is noted to be extremely quiet and can scale from sub-meter to sub-inch precision. It requires to be paired with a Raven CR7 or CR12 display and an SC1 steering controller or an RS1 GNSS receiver/steering controller.

Augmenta

CNH Industrial acquired Augmenta in March 2023. Now, the company is incorporating the product to be part of its Sense & Act lineup. Sense & Act is a group of product aiming to help farmers make faster, more precise decisions with greater efficiency.

The Augmenta system has a single module mounted on the roof of the cab with multispectral cameras to scan the field and help operators make real-time decisions.

Augmenta uses imagery and spectral analysis to create instructions for rate controllers and other precision ag components. Voss says in that way the technology easily integrates into Raven’s well known products for boom height, steering/guidance, nozzle control, etc.

“It’s plug and play functionality. The instructions from Augmenta plug into our field controllers, and as an operator you don’t have to do much to get the components to talk to each other,” he says.

Voss says Augmenta can be used for variable-rate applications of:

• Nitrogen
• Plant growth regulators
• Fungicides
• Desiccants

“Some customers say they got full payback in first year,” Voss says offering examples of reduced herbicide volumes, faster harvest timeframe, and application where the system was used for multiple passes in same field.

Voss says customers have seen value in Data layers with real-time Augmenta data used in conjunction with prescription maps.

He adds Raven is competitively offering Augmenta in the market at a lower price than many similar technologies: $30,000 plus a cost per acre/cost per task. The Augmenta system is a single module to be mounted—without additional writing or multiple cameras installed.

The Augmenta system also has a place for ag retailers looking to add such features to their applications.