Editor’s note: The Farm Progress Show is Aug. 27-29 in Boone, Iowa. Visit FarmProgressShow.com.

For Machine autonomy, many small steps taken over the past decade seem to be coalescing into something straight out of a sci-fi film. Robots are invading farmland and will soon transform the industry. The Farm Progress Show’s Autonomy Zone gives showgoers a glimpse of what this future might look like.

If interested in talking to professionals about the technology, visitors should head over to Lot 1234 at Central Avenue between 12th and 13th streets.

“They can get a real look and feel when they walk or tram to the Ride and Drive area to see the technology run,” says Rick Wild, operations manager of the Farm Progress Show.

Weather permitting, demonstrations will take place daily on the show’s east side near tram loading from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Along with autonomous ground machines that include self-propelled sprayers, drone companies will have dedicated flight areas, says Matt Jungmann, national events director at Farm Progress.

Retrofitted system

Among the demonstrations, PTx Trimble will showcase its new retrofitted autonomous tractor system, OutRun. The system can transform any Agco-branded machine, and 2014 and newer John Deere 8R tractors, into robots. Showgoers will be able to watch — and control — an automated grain cart operation from inside a combine’s cab.

“We’ll be showing a single cart demo with an Ideal combine and a John Deere tractor pulling the grain cart,” says Dinen Subramaniam, senior manager for product marketing and management at PTx Trimble. “Farmers will have the opportunity to ride in the combine and command the autonomous grain cart.”

The system will be available to order at this year’s show for farmers in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. It will be available everywhere else next year.

“We’ve found that it’s affordable for a smaller-sized farm, right up to a bigger farm,” Subramaniam says.

Before and after the demonstration, experts will be available to chat at PTx Trimble’s booth “both from a technology point of view and from the agronomic benefits as well,” Subramaniam says. “It’s the only autonomous grain cart system available in the market right now. It works with decade-old tractors.”

For now, it’s compatible exclusively with John Deere and Agco machines. Soon, however, Subramaniam says the system’s interoperability will expand to other makes and models.

Showgoers can also expect to see autonomy demonstrations or displays from CNH Industrial, Agri Spray Drones, Apexx Drone Solutions and others. Biosphere Drone Solutions, for example, will have a drone spray trailer set up as a static display, as well as a DJI Agras T50.

Visitors should listen to show staff at all times to ensure safety. Each brand will provide exact logistics information for its demonstration.