Farm equipment maker – John Deere unveiled an automated tractor at CES show

John Deere has launched its first automated tractor that can till a field without the need for a driver.

The heavy-duty vehicle can be controlled with a smartphone and navigates countryside using cameras and sensors.

The automated functions are a kit that may be added to some current tractors rather than a new machine.

John Deere, on the other hand, said it hasn’t decided whether to sell the kit outright and is instead mulling a lease or subscription approach.

The company isn’t the first to show off autonomous tractor technology, but it is one of the world’s largest producers of farm equipment.

The new kit, which was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, employs six pairs of stereo cameras to monitor its surrounds and uses machine learning to detect objects and avoid collisions.

However, safety is still a major worry.