Tired of waiting for driverless vehicles? Head to a farm

By SCOTT McFETRIDGE
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For years Americans have been told autonomous technology was improving and that driverless vehicles were just around the corner. Finally they’re here, but to catch a glimpse of them, you’ll need to go to a farm. Beginning this fall, tractors that can plow day or night with no one sitting in the cab will come off the John Deere factory assembly line in Waterloo, Iowa. The development follows more than a decade-long effort by the world’s largest farm equipment manufacturer, and marks a milestone for automation advocates, who for years have been explaining why driverless cars aren’t quite ready for prime time. Deere isn’t release to cost of the tractor. It plans to operate the tractors on 10 to 50 farms by this fall.