# Getting Out of the Weeds with John Deere's Revolutionary AI Technology

- Show: [Moore's Lobby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby)
- Published: 2023-06-13
- Length: 55m
- Episode: 8
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-06-13-getting-out-of-the-weeds-with-john-deeres-revolutionary-ai-technology
- Listen: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/podcast/getting-out-of-the-weeds-with-john-deeres-revolutionary-ai-technology

## Summary

Chris Padwick, Director of Computer Vision and Machine Learning at Blue River Technology (a John Deere subsidiary), explains the engineering behind the See & Spray system, which uses computer vision to spot-spray herbicide on weeds. He details the massive compute requirements, noting the system uses NVIDIA Xavier and Orin GPUs to achieve 0.3 petaflops of processing power for real-time image classification at 12 mph. Padwick also discusses the critical role of data collection, the acquisition by John Deere for scaling, and the future of autonomous agricultural machinery.

## Chapters

- [0:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-06-13-getting-out-of-the-weeds-with-john-deeres-revolutionary-ai-technology#t=9) Introduction: Chris Padwick and Blue River Technology
- [1:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-06-13-getting-out-of-the-weeds-with-john-deeres-revolutionary-ai-technology#t=65) Padwick's Background: From Commodore 64 to Cosmology
- [10:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-06-13-getting-out-of-the-weeds-with-john-deeres-revolutionary-ai-technology#t=649) Blue River's Pivot from Lettuce Thinning to Row Crop Weeding
- [20:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-06-13-getting-out-of-the-weeds-with-john-deeres-revolutionary-ai-technology#t=1236) The See & Spray System: Compute, Cameras, and NVIDIA Hardware
- [29:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-06-13-getting-out-of-the-weeds-with-john-deeres-revolutionary-ai-technology#t=1745) Data Collection, Labeling, and the Virtuous Cycle of AI
- [16:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-06-13-getting-out-of-the-weeds-with-john-deeres-revolutionary-ai-technology#t=967) Scaling Challenges and the John Deere Acquisition
- [47:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-06-13-getting-out-of-the-weeds-with-john-deeres-revolutionary-ai-technology#t=2833) Future Roadmap: Autonomous Tractors and New Crops

## Topics

- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Blue River Technology (company)
- John Deere (company)
- See & Spray (product)
- NVIDIA Xavier (chip)
- NVIDIA Orin (chip)
- Commodore 64 (product)
- MDA (company)
- Maxar (company)
- Dino V2 (product)
- BLIP (product)
- John Deere 8R (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Willy Pell from Blue River Technology brings AI to the farm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-15-willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Smart Farming: The Role of IoT and AI | John Deere's Gaurav Bansal | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2024-06-18-smart-farming-the-role-of-iot-and-ai-john-deeres-gaurav-bansal-internet-of-thing) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Digital Transformation: From Tractors to Autonomous Agriculture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2023-12-21-digital-transformation-from-tractors-to-autonomous-agriculture) (Over the Air)
- [44. How Computer Vision Is Changing Your World](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2021-11-16-44-how-computer-vision-is-changing-your-world) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Autonomous vehicle technology deep dive at John Deere and Zoox](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2023-04-18-autonomous-vehicle-technology-deep-dive-at-john-deere-and-zoox) (The Robot Report Podcast)

## Citing this page

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