PODCAST: Autonomous vehicle technology deep dive with John Deere and Zoox

In episode 110, we review what John Deere AgTech presented at the 2023 John Deere Technology Summit, and interview Jorge Heraud, VP of Autonomy at John Deere. Cohost Mike Oitzman attended the recent John Deere Technology Summit and had the opportunity to learn about the current state of John Deere’s autonomy and look at the roadmap for where the agtech market is headed. He got to experience the ag equipment firsthand at the John Deere test farm near Austin, TX.

Hero image of a John Deere 8R Autonomous Tractor.
The John Deere 8R Autonomous Tractor includes front and rear-facing perception units that include all cameras and an embedded NVIDIA Jetson processor onboard. | Credit: The Robot Report

Later in the episode, we discuss the sensor and perception stack being developed to operate the Zoox autonomous vehicle with two of Zoox’s technology leaders: RJ He and Ryan McMichael. The innovative Zoox AV is now being tested on public streets as it begins its commercialization phase.

zoox autonomous vehicle on the road.
The Zoox AV is ergonomically designed to maximize seating and passenger comfort and does not include a steering wheel. | Credit: Zoox

Episode notes

11:23 – Interview with Jorge Heraud, VP of Autonomy at John Deere

31:15 – Interview with RJ He, Director of Perception, and Ryan McMichael, Director of Sensors and Systems for Advanced Hardware at Zoox

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mike oitzman headshot.
Written by

Mike Oitzman

Mike Oitzman is Senior Editor of WTWH's Robotics Group, cohost of The Robot Report Podcast, and founder of the Mobile Robot Guide. Oitzman is a robotics industry veteran with 25-plus years of experience at various high-tech companies in the roles of marketing, sales and product management. He can be reached at moitzman@wtwhmedia.com.