Agriculture is far ahead of the rest of the country in development and use of driver-less technology, says the Washington Post. Deere and Co., the largest equipment manufacturer in the world, sells auto-steer and other self-guidance technology in 100 countries. “[B]ecause farm-equipment makers operate almost exclusively on private land, they’ve been able to bring products to market much quicker than consumer automakers …. That lack of regulations is one reason that the future reached the farm first. But another is pure necessity: There’s a labor crunch in rural America – young people move to the cities, leaving the average age of U.S. farmers at 58.”
Deere is not alone. Rival manufacturer Case IH markets similar products, as do smaller competitors. The technology is costly, says the Post. Auto-steer, navigation and guidance technology can cost $20,000 for a tractor, and there are subscription fees to use satellite signals. There is a consumer application of the technology, says the Post: “Your neighbor can already replace his lawn mower with the John Deere equivalent of a Roomba robotic vacuum for his yard.”