There is no doubt that IoT and machine learning are automating agriculture. Sensors and actuators, geo-positioning systems, Big Data, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, and robotics, are all working together to shape a new future for farming.
The end goal? A more precise and resource-efficient approach to Smart Farming.
This will have major implications for agriculture and farming programs across the county. We’re starting to see it already. Educators are adjusting their programs to best prepare students for the new future of Smart Farming.
Educators should integrate the fundamental electrical and IT elements of digital agriculture into training courses.
Sufficient training for mechatronics technicians needs to place a greater emphasis on the electronic components. But familiarization with the new technologies directly on a tractor presents some difficulties. The measuring points for the communication and networking systems of the smart agricultural vehicles are often not readily accessible and any damage caused by incorrect operation can quickly prove costly.
We like Lucas-Nülle’s Commercial Vehicles ‘TruckTrain’ series because you can use the compact training system with a direct spatial and digital connection to the tractors and implements.
Simple access to data communication systems brings networked agriculture into the training workshop.
TruckTrain helps you to familiarize trainees with the main data transmission systems such as ISOBUS, J1939, CAN-Bus and Implement-Bus. Students can read and write Bus messages or carry out diagnostics of the ISOBUS using b-ISOBUS Spy. They can also make authentic assessments of the readings obtained on the system based on circuit diagrams and setpoint directories.
You can use TruckTrain to demonstrate some hot topics in the training workshop, including resource-optimized Precision Farming via GPS with Section Control. Students can carry out full job preparation via the farm PC as well as start a driving simulation using “Trupath GPS Sim.” The training unit features its own sower, allowing students to learn how to communicate with an original implement ECU.
Establish competence in the diagnosis, repair and maintenance of new generations of digitalized machines.
When you connect TruckTrain with existing tractors and implements, you open up a whole new array of training options for students. You can choose from 32 different fault scenarios, including basic electronic components such as the different fuse types and relay controls as well as the tractor’s working lights, while also covering the subject areas of data communication and digital agriculture.
