Tractors ‘unsupervised and capable of making decisions’: John Deere announces more launches of autonomous agricultural vehicles

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, John Deere unveiled a new line of autonomous vehicles, including driverless tractors, smart dump trucks, and a robotic lawn mower designed for small farmers and homeowners.

Jahmy Hindman, John Deere's chief technology officer, reiterated the company's mission to achieve total autonomy in its agricultural machines: "When we talk about autonomy, we mean full autonomy (...) No one’s in the machine.”

New launches

John Deere's first self-driving tractor (launched in 2022) is already in use in the country and has been a success helping farmers prepare fields.

Among the most notable new additions is an autonomous dump truck, capable of carrying up to 92,000 pounds of cargo. This vehicle, according to the company, promises to improve human safety by eliminating the need for operators and other employees in hazardous environments. According to Maya Sripadam, senior product manager for John Deere subsidiary Blue River Technology:

"It’s unsupervised, it’s capable of making decisions and operating safely on its own.”

The company also introduced specialized field spraying tractors. These autonomous machines are designed to apply pesticides and nutrients. The company also announced a self-driving robotic lawnmower that will be available for small farmers and residential users.