An MT7 SmarTrek autonomous tractor autonomously covering the field with PVC at the demonstration for the Hamyang-gun Agricultural Robot Verification Aid Project.

■ LS Mtron’s autonomous tractor MT7 SmarTrek recognized for technological capabilities,with five units delivered to Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do Province
■ Similar to rotaries in rice paddies for reducing cultivation time in (onion) fields
■ Executive Director Sang-min Lee of LS Mtron Tractor Business Headquarters stated, “The autonomous tractors from LS Mtron are expected to be used not just in rice paddies but also in a variety of other field work… The field work in our country is rather lacking in terms of mechanization and LS Mtron will continue to focus on developing technology for mechanization as well as fully automated farming (level 4 autonomy).” 

On December 13, LS Group’s industrial machinery and advanced parts manufacturer LS Mtron (CEO Jae-ho Shin) announced that the company had showcased its autonomous tractor performing field work in a vegetable (onion) farming demonstration for the Hamyang-gun Agricultural Robot Aid Project following the delivery of five units of the autonomous tractor MT7 SmarTrek as the company continues to expand its autonomous farming business.

The event, held at Handeul district on December 7, was attended by 50 participants from the Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency and the local government of Hamyang-gun, and a demonstration was held to share progress in the Hamyang-gun Agricultural Robot Verification Aid Project. The demonstration showcased the autonomous tractor MT7 SmarTrek, delivered by LS Mtron, performing farm work such as deep plowing (plow), tilling*/trimming* (rotary), and ridging*/moulding* (ridging and moulding machine). There is a greater variety of work for field crops (onions, garlic, etc.) compared to rice paddies (rice), so it must be performed using various farming machines according to the crops being planted/harvested. LS Mtron showed that rotary work over the field (12,000 pyeong, around 39,670m2) was performed in 21 minutes, which was an approximately 30% reduction compared to 30 minutes with traditional tractors, and this performance was similar to the rotary work on rice paddies, thus showing that the autonomous tractors can be utilized conveniently and efficiently on the fields.

The Agricultural Robot Verification Aid Project is a project for resolving the manpower crisis in rural areas and achieving mechanization of field work.It was assigned a total budget of 20 billion won between 2023 and 2027 by the Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency to support and plan on-site demonstrations for improving agricultural robot technology and the rapid expansion in the usage of agricultural robots across various farms. The Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency is currently providing aid to three regions nationwide (Dangjin, Haenam, and Hamyang) as of 2023, and LS Mtron has launched the MT7 SmarTrek, the first commercial autonomous tractor in Korea, which was recognized for its technological capabilities with the delivery of five units to Hamyang-gun.

Onion transplantation has become mechanized in Hamyang to resolve the issue of a lack of agricultural manpower, and the region had a high demand for autonomous tractors. In August, the Hamyaung-gun Agricultural Robot Consultative Organization was formed, and the organization has held five agricultural robot verification aid demonstrations and purchased equipment such as autonomous tractors, automatic steering apparatuses, and pest control drones for on-site demonstrations at the farms for each step in the farming process. The organization is currently assessing the superiority of the autonomous tractors compared to the traditional tractors and deriving areas for improvement and issues. In the first half of next year, the onion harvest is expected to yield many results for the organization.

Meanwhile, the MT7 SmarTrek autonomous tractor is the first commercial autonomous tractor in Korea that is being sold to public institutions, Nonghyup, and other general farmers. Thisinnovative product can autonomously drive forward/backward and connect to other agricultural machinery without much operation. It has level 3 autonomy in terms of forward movement, rotation, and machinery control, and includesan obstacle detection feature,which is the foundation and essence of level 4 autonomy. Through this product, work hours will be reduced by 17% and harvests will be increased by 8%.This in turn will improve the convenience and precision of workers while also increasing productivity, thus maximizing the advantages of autonomous farming technology. 

Executive Director Sang-min Lee of the LS Mtron Tractor Business Headquarters stated, “The autonomous tractors from LS Mtron are expected to be used not just in rice paddies but also inavariety of other field work… The field work in our country is rather lacking in terms of mechanization and LS Mtron will continue to focus on developing technology for mechanization as well as fully automated farming (level 4 autonomy).”

[Definitions of Terms]
*Tilling: Plowing the soil and crushing the lumps of soil into smaller pieces to create an even ground surface
*Trimming: Soil work for building ideal soil before sowing or planting seeds
*Ridging: Building ridges for planting crops or sowing seeds
*Moulding: Covering the land with soil after sowing the seeds