Olds College in Olds, Alberta, Canada has announced that it will be the only post-secondary institution in the world to deploy the fully autonomous DOT Power Platform as a teaching and research tool on the College’s Smart Farm.

According to Olds College, the next generation of ag-technology gives its students “one-of-a-kind learning opportunities” on commercially available field-scale robotics technology on the College’s Smart Farm. Using the platform will also provide the College the opportunity to conduct future-focused applied research on the environmental, economic and labor benefits of autonomous technology in the ag sector.

Starting this spring, Olds College Smart Farm will operate DOT autonomous equipment in the field. Through a three-year Smart Farm research project, the College will seek to understand the benefits and challenges of autonomous agricultural equipment through the information and observations it collects. During the project, the economic and environmental footprint of autonomous agricultural equipment will also be measured. 

“We are very excited to start using autonomous equipment on the Smart Farm,” says Dr. Joy Agnew, associate vice president, Applied Research, Olds College.

“Our goal is to demonstrate how this leading edge technology works and provide research results for producers to use to make informed decisions about how to incorporate this technology into their own operations. And of course, our students will also benefit from working with and understanding autonomous technology.”

The College will use the DOT A-U1 mobile diesel power platform, along with the DOT Seeder-SeedMaster Ultra DSR, DOT Sprayer-Pattison Connect, and the DOT-ready New Leader NL5000 nutrient applicator. The DOT power platform diverts from the model of a high-capacity tractor as a power-unit. It is designed for flexibility, efficiency, and scalability to help boost the productivity of both small and large farms alike.

Olds College says that the DOT power platform and DOT-ready implements represent a “significant first-step towards autonomous commercial agricultural operations.”

“A strong and competitive agricultural sector is foundational to western Canada’s economy, and ensuring this sector can benefit from the latest advancements and leading-edge research will help support its continued growth,” says the Honourable Mélanie Joly, minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada.

“This is an important milestone for the Olds College Smart Farm—one that could enable producers to soon apply new tools, technologies and processes to further improve their operational efficiency.”