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John Deere announced its acquisition of
autonomous orchard sprayer Gus Automation.
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Founded in 2018 and standing for Global
Unmanned Spray System,
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Gus expects its machines to act as a solution
to the agricultural labor shortage.
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The machines apply fungicides, fertilizers, and
pesticides to pistachio,
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almond, citrus, and fruit trees.
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According to the company, one operator can
remotely
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operate up to 8 sprayers simultaneously from their
vehicle.
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The deal comes about 3 years after Gus and John
Deere formed a joint venture.
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In February 2024, the partnership also revealed
the electric Gus at the World Ag Expo.
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The machine can reportedly operate for 10 to 12
hours while spraying at full capacity and
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features a weed detection system that
identifies chlorophyll and sprays only where it
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wheats.
Electrak reported that John Deere dealers will
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continue to sell and service the sprayers.
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However, Gus will keep its name, employees,
branding, and an independent manufacturing
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plant in Kingsburg, California.
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The sprayers already featured John Deere
engines.
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The company’s other models include the Gus,
Mini Gus,
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and Herbicide Gus, which measure up to 24 ft
long, more than 6 ft tall,
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and over 8 ft wide.
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The Gus’s 90 gallon fuel cell capacity enables
a runtime of about 13 to 14 hours.
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Gus’s technology uses a combination of
proprietary software,
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LIDAR, GPS, and vehicle sensors to navigate
through orchards without an onboard operator.
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The company has reportedly deployed over 250
machines worldwide.
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I’m Nolan Bilstein.
This is Manufacturing Now.