A futuristic tractor developed by an advanced engineering team at John Deere in Waterloo is receiving a lot of attention for its missing parts.

The tractor features no steering wheel or driver’s seat, because it requires no person to be on board during operation. It was displayed last week at the College of Design’s exhibit, “Good Design, Good Business.”

“This is our glimpse into the future for us,” said Merv Kizlyk, manager of advanced tractor engineering at John Deere’s research and development center in Waterloo.

Kizlyk said the operation is based off the use of Global Positioning System. GPS signals give the tractor its location, and the signal is then translated into a steering motion that makes sure the tractor is staying on the correct path, he said.

Object detection devices, such as artificial vision and radar technology are used, Kizlyk said.

“Essentially, it gives eyes to this vehicle,” he said.

If the tractor sees an object, it will either go around the object or come to a complete stop. Once the tractor comes to a halt, it will call someone for help using wireless technology, Kizlyk said.

Although the commercial future of an operatorless tractor is in question, some initial testing has been done, said Barry Nelson, John Deere’s manager of public relations.

Testing has been done in orchards with the tractor pulling spraying equipment, Kizlyk said.

“Technology and computers allow the tractor to sense when the spray and gas are low,” he said.

When the tractor senses that it is low on gas or spray, it will record its position in the orchard, then go fill up with gas or spray at a pump with a person’s help, Kizlyk said.

“The tractor will then return to the last spot it sprayed and begin spraying again,” he said.

Although there are a lot of issues to work out before John Deere ever releases an operatorless tractor, more advanced technology is migrating into farm vehicles, Kizlyk said.

“With each automation advancement, it gets easier for the operator,” he said.

Kizlyk said it would not surprise him to one day see a farmer operating a master tractor and controlling two other tractors in the same field with a remote controller.

John Deere’s AutoTrac System, is a new technology currently available to farmers, Nelson said.

“With AutoTrac, you still have the operator who has to make the turns at the end of the row, but then a satellite turns on and they no longer have to steer,” he said.

AutoTrac uses GPS signals that are more precise than a person’s steering ability, Kizlyk said.

In order for AutoTrac to be used, a farmer must make one straight pass down the field. After that, the operator pushes a button and AutoTrac engages. However, the driver must disengage the system to make a turn and then re-engage the system for another straight pass, he said.

Jay Adamson, sales manager at Van Wall Equipment in Perry, said there is a growing interest in AutoTrac.

“At this point, about 10 to 15 percent of farmers are investing in AutoTrac,” he said.

Jeremy Ide, senior in agriculture studies, said the AutoTrac system will be valuable to farmers who have more land to cultivate, but could be costly for small farmers.

With large farms, the cost of using a single AutoTrac unit is spread over a large area, Ide said. Smaller farms have a more difficult time justifying the high cost, he said.