Using AI to make farm equipment safer

Sep 27, 2018

Machine Eye can shut down a tractor or PTO if it senses danger

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

An Irish startup has created a product that can help farmers operate equipment safely.

Brendan Digney, a farmer and electrical engineer from Newry, Ireland, developed Machine Eye, which producers can install on tractors and other equipment.

Machine Eye replaces regular spotlights “with an intelligent work light” and works like a conventional light but “with added safety functionality,” the company’s website says.

The product includes a sensor package, a central control unit for sensor inputs and electronic control systems that communicate with the tractor. The system uses artificial intelligence to study farmer behaviour as he or she operates the equipment and is focused on the PTO.

If Machine Eye senses a dangerous situation, it can shut down the PTO or the tractor.

“Accidents on farms exist at times when farmers are busy,” Digney told TechWatch. “Long days and weather can add to stressful conditions. Also, repetition leads to complacency, contributing to accidents. When the behaviour of the user and the conditions of the machine are on a path towards danger, Machine Eye triggers an automatic reaction in the machine.”

The product can also differentiate between objects. A cow wouldn’t trigger a reaction from Machine Eye, but a person would, Digney said.

“We don’t remove the need for users to act safely around their machine – we augment the operator,” he told TechWatch.

The technology community has recognized Digney’s company for its work.

Machine Eye took home first place at the Queen’s University Belfast Dragon’s Den startup competition and won an innovation award at this year’s National Ploughing Championships.

Digney is running tests on his family farm and hopes to bring Machine Eye to farmers next year.

“As a safety product, we don’t want to bring a product to market until we’re happy with it,” he told TechWatch. “We’re perfectionists, so it needs to be perfect.”

Farms.com has reached out to Machine Eye for more information.

Video: Is China Buying US Soybeans + USDA Nov 14th Crop Report could be “Game Changing”

After a week of a U.S./China trade truce, markets/trade is skeptical that we have not seen a signed agreement nor heard much from China or seen any details. There are rumors that China is buying soybean futures & not the physical. Trust in Trump?
12 MMT of U.S. soybean purchases by China by year-end is better than 0 but we all need to give it more time and give it a chance to unfold. China did lower the tariffs on Ag and is buying U.S. wheat and sorghum.
U.S. supreme court could rule against Trumps tariffs, but the Trump administration does have a plan B.
U.S. government shutdown is now the longest in history at 38 days.
But despite a U.S. government shutdown we will be getting a USDA November crop report next Friday and it could be “game changing.” If the USDA provides a bullish surprise with lower U.S. corn and soybean yields and ending stocks that are lower than expected both corn and soybean futures will break out above their ceilings at $4.35/bu and $11.35/bu respectively.
The funds continued their selling in live and feeder cattle futures on continued fears that the Trump administration want to lower U.S. beef prices. The fundamentals have not changed, only market psychology has.
Stocks markets continue to worry about a weak U.S. job market, but you can blame ChatGPT for that. In the future, we will have a more efficient, productive and growing economy with a higher unemployment rate until we have more skilled AI workers.
After 34 new record highs in the S & P 500 and 124 new records in the NASDAQ in 2025 we are back to a correction and investor profit taking as AI valuations may have gotten too stretched near-term ahead of NVDA’s 3rd quarter earnings announcement on Nov. 19th. But this is not an AI bubble.
75% of Tesla shareholders approved a $1 trillion pay package for Elon Musk!
It has rained in South America in the last 7 days, but both the American and European models agree that Central Brazil remains dry in the next 14-days!

Ag included in Japan and U.S. trade talks

Get ready for Ag Month!