23 November 2018, Thane: The Hulk:
From Indus Valley Civilization to this day, agrarian income has dominated the economy. However the sheen of this Farming tribe was slowly losing its lustre. Being a routine visitor at StartUp Events, was eagerly awaiting young knights devise strategies that enhance the agriculture scenario in the nation. And finally when some traces are found in that direction then the pleasure is immense.
Though there are quite a few innovators doing serious trials in this sector, more are needed to serve this vast domain that feeds the entire nation of billions.
One such noteworthy Maharashtra StattUp that is sure to give the boost to farmers is AutoNxt Automation Pvt. Ltd. This Thane based entity has built the World’s First Electric, Autonomous (Smart and Driver less) Tractor, The Hulk.
The battery operated The Hulk incorporates many latest technologies like Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence for operations and utilities Block-chain for avoiding hacking, on the whole a deep technology product. This advanced product uses GPS navigation to identify the owners land and ploughs it without the need of a driver.
The Hulk has most modern features with simplicity that can be handled by a layman who need not be a Geek while performing all the operations that a conventional tractor does. The performance is time effective, cost effective and precision centric.
Initial training is done by the manufacturer’s representative and then the work can be efficiently executed by the local buyer.
Initially the farmer plots the farm boundaries using a tablet. Once the operation is on, GPS on “The Hulk” (tractor) receives the signal from satellites and begins work. In case there is an obstacle Artificial Intelligence assists the tractor in dealing with them.
Kaustubh Dhonde, Founder and CEO, informed, ‘Our Initial target market is going to be those farmers who need tractor for specific activity like spraying pesticides for ex. Grape, Pomegranate, mango producers. Total 3500 hectares of land under cultivation is producing 3000 tons fruits.
He revealed, ‘The electric smart tractor is a more economically viable option for all activities like construction, transportation and aviation. As the major initial torque requirement for all these is easily generated by a lower HP tractor because the prime mover itself is changed.’
Added, ‘We have worked on 3 main domains and have patent pending in Automation controls. They are Electric Power Train, Automation and AI using farm data. We are also working on six more technologies to make the product more advanced in nature.’
He updated, ‘We are currently in advanced talks with major tractor manufacturers and a few industrialists. We are planning to manufacture the tractor body at one of the selected mid-sized tractor manufacturers from Rajkot.’
The Hulk is approximately 20 percent higher than its conventional counterpart in cost, however the savings are huge and the ROI is fast, while regaining the difference in cost within the first year. It is an ideal farming accessory for co-operative farming as it works faster and economical.
As per present dynamics half of the cost goes to the battery. The management is also working on ‘battery on hire’ module to help farmers get the vehicle without battery at half the cost. This would help many take the call and shift to this. For more details: https://autonxt.in/
Way2World congratulates The Hulk team for their integrity in developing a farmer friendly product that is good for the environment and saves the exchequer as well. With inputs from internet – RajKishan