# Willy Pell from Blue River Technology brings AI to the farm

- Show: [The Robot Report Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast)
- Published: 2022-04-15
- Length: 57m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-15-willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/robot-report-podcast/willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm

## Summary

Willy Pell, VP of Autonomy at Blue River Technology (acquired by John Deere), explains how the company applied machine learning and computer vision to automate farming, starting with the See & Spray weed management system and expanding to the autonomous John Deere AR tractor. Pell details the strategic decision to use stereo cameras instead of LIDAR due to dust and speed constraints, and describes how the system uses deep learning to detect crops versus weeds, achieving significant herbicide savings. The episode also covers the broader roadmap for autonomous tillage, planting, and grain cart coordination, drawing inspiration from Tesla's data-driven approach to achieve full autonomy in a semi-structured agricultural environment.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-15-willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm#t=0) Introduction: Robot Report Podcast and News Segment
- [2:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-15-willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm#t=171) News: Cruise Robotaxi Incident and SoftBank Robotics Acquisition
- [26:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-15-willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm#t=1577) Interview Setup: Willy Pell and Blue River Technology
- [34:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-15-willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm#t=2048) Blue River's History: From See & Spray to John Deere Acquisition
- [40:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-15-willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm#t=2413) Technical Deep Dive: Sensor Selection and AI Architecture for AR Tractor
- [47:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-15-willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm#t=2861) Autonomy Strategy: Learning from Tesla and Self-Healing Models
- [53:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-15-willy-pell-from-blue-river-technology-brings-ai-to-the-farm#t=3218) Future Roadmap: Automating Major Tractor Operations

## Topics

- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Blue River Technology (company)
- John Deere (company)
- Cruise (company)
- SoftBank Robotics (company)
- United Robotics Group (company)
- Pepper (product)
- See & Spray (product)
- John Deere AR Tractor (product)
- Tesla (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Getting Out of the Weeds with John Deere's Revolutionary AI Technology](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-06-13-getting-out-of-the-weeds-with-john-deeres-revolutionary-ai-technology) (Moore's Lobby)
- [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)
- [How IoT and Smart Farming Technology is Revolutionizing Agriculture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2020-11-09-how-iot-and-smart-farming-technology-is-revolutionizing-agriculture) (IoT For All Podcast)

## Citing this page

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