John Deere is a US-based manufacturer of agricultural machinery and heavy equipment. And like what CEO John May said during a media conference at CES 2023 on Thursday, Jan. 5, John Deere is changing the future of farming.

The firm advocates for a future in which sensors and machine learning technology are increasingly used in agriculture.

'See & Spray'

John Deere's newest push into high-tech farming is ExactShot. This sensor-driven robotic system aims to cut fertilizer consumption by as much as 60%, saving money for farmers and reducing the number of unnecessary chemicals that are poured into the soil.

As featured in CNET, ExactShot technology from the company uses sensors and robotics to fire off timed bursts of fertilizer that coat individual seeds while leaving the spaces between them unfertilized. This is in contrast to traditional methods of fertilizer application, which involve shooting a steady stream of the chemical into the soil over the seeds as they are planted in rows by machinery.

It is more efficient not to put fertilizer on the ground if you do not need it since that might encourage the development of weeds that steal nutrients from the crops or wash away into water sources.

Now, in terms of weeds, John Deere uses the same method to apply the right amount of herbicides to eradicate them effectively.

There is no denying the money and effort it saves farmers.

The machine vision camera that makes this "See & Spray" technology feasible was shown during John Deere's CES 2023 keynote by Julian Sanchez, director of emerging technology.

According to him, it can scan 2200 square feet of land in a single pass, a task that would need around 6000 people to do manually.

Deanna Kovar, John Deere's vice president of production and precision agriculture production systems, stated that using robotics and sensors to help farmers "grow more with less" is at the heart of the new fertilization technology.

This year's spring planting season will be the first time farmers may use John Deere's ExactShot technology.

See Also: CES 2023: BMW Showcases DEE Concept Car - Mixed Reality Slider and Color-Changing Features

State of Industry

This was presented along with CTA's State of the Industry Address conference.

Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA, highlighted the role that technology plays in enabling people to address global challenges. He made a note of the categories that technological advancements have significantly impacted.

As chairman of CTA's executive board and inventor of the SOURCE, a provider of sustainable water technologies, Dr. Carmichael Roberts addressed the shortage of clean water in certain countries. Thankfully, Starbucks cares profoundly about the welfare of coffee-producing communities and the solution to the drinking water situation.

SOURCE Hydropanels produce clean, premium water with solar energy without needing pipelines, power wires, or plastic.

Starbucks enlisted SOURCE's aid in constructing a water farm in Timor Leste

Another tech presented was Aurora, a smart gadget that can nearly double the storage life of fresh food to minimize food waste.

Clean Water Pathfinder was also mentioned, a robot that resides in utility pipes to help communities locate water infrastructure issues.

See Also: CES 2023: ACWA Robotics' Clean Water Pathfinder is a Snake Robot that Travels on your Pipes