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John Deere will let US farmers repair their own equipment
John Deere has agreed to a right to repair promise, albeit under plenty of political pressure.
Self-driving electric tractor promises eco-friendly, hands-off farming
Farmers may soon have the option of a self-driving electric tractor that can even power their tools.
John Deere wants to remind the world that it’s a tech company
John Deere has been to CES before. The company known for its dark green tractors with the yellow deer on them has rubbed shoulders with the smart TVs, smart light bulbs, smart cars, smart switches and smart toothbrushes for years. But 2019 was a bit different.
ICYMI: Improving pesticide's sticking abilities
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: MIT researchers created a kind of pesticide that is much more likely to stick on plant leaves because its additives are made of negatively and positively charged polymers that bond together. This means far less pesticide needs to be used for the same effect, and fewer pollutants are likely to get into the water system. If you're interested in watching the full dominoes video (and why wouldn't you be, that stuff is mesmerizing) you can find it here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Fulfill your virtual farming dreams with this $300 tractor controller
At one point or another, most of us have tried (and normally failed) to tackle a few laps in Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport with a racing wheel. But have you ever used one to drive a tractor in Farming Simulator 15? Nope, didn't think so. Peripheral maker Saitek has designed a new, monster accessory that includes a steering wheel (with turn knob), foot pedals and a side console complete with over 25 programmable buttons and a loader stick. It's designed specifically for Windows and Mac, and the price alone means it'll only appeal to the most hardcore agriculture enthusiasts: the all-in bundle will set you back $299.99, or you can pay $149.99 for just the side panel or wheel/pedal combo.
EVE Evolved: First impressions of Rubicon
For years I've been writing that EVE Online needs more deployable sandbox structures that any player can use, so I was naturally pretty excited to hear that this was to be one of the key features of the Rubicon expansion. The Mobile Depot sounded like a great freeform sandbox tool when it was announced, but I didn't understand quite how awesome it was until I started setting up my own. While the depot is ostensibly a fancy item container with a ship fitting service, anchoring one feels almost like planting your flag in space, and spotting another depot on the directional scanner means war. I've spent this week exploring low-security space in the new Stratios Sisters of EVE faction cruiser, stealing rare moon minerals with a Siphon Unit, and desperately searching for the elusive but valuable ghost sites. As expected, players have already found some creative uses for the new personal deployable structures: Mobile Depots are being used as advertising billboards in Jita and to bait aggressive players into becoming flagged as criminal suspects, Mobile Tractor Units have seen some unorthodox usage outside of missions, and the Siphon Unit will literally print money if you find an unsecured moon-mining operation tucked away in space. In this week's EVE Evolved, I test-drive the Rubicon expansion's new structures to find out if they live up to expectations.
ArcheAge explores the possibilities of an open world in a new video
Who would have thought that something as mundane as tractors could get us so excited? And yet ArcheAge does exactly that, as a new video from the closed beta shows off the latest model of drivable tractors, useful in both field irrigation and cargo hauling. Players are shown spraying down fields with a forward-facing nozzle, resulting in the quick growth of plants. In addition to the zen and art of tractor pulling, this video briefly highlights several other aspects of this gorgeous game. It illuminates the creation and use of a trebuchet in castle sieges, underwater exploration, housing decorations, and painstakingly animated dragon-lion mounts. While the video may not be in English, it's still a drop of cool water in the mouths of fans thirsty for this upcoming MMO. You can check out all of the lush goodness after the break. [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Craftsman aims to pimp your lawnmower with digital dash, traction control and more
At this week's North American International Auto Show, Craftsman unveiled its 2012 CTX tractor line to the car-loving masses, and let's just get this out there -- this is not your father's lawnmower. Propelled by a 30-horsepower Briggs & Stratton motor, this grass-assassin can hit forward speeds of 8MPH and, for those Jason Statham-style chase scenes, 3MPH in reverse. The tractor is equipped with automatic traction control, an electronic fuel management system that removes the need for a carburetor, electronic cutting height adjustment and a 54-inch mowing plain with "quick deck removal." Couple that with cruise control, digital instruments, a cup holder and 12-volt power adapter (have to have some suds and songs while you mow, right?) and you have yourself quite the package. The CTX will be available this February at Sears stores nationwide and will be priced between $3000 and $6500.
WowWee Roborover gets friendly with the furniture in our review
See that glowing face? Yep, it's the super-enthusiastic Roborover from WowWee. We won't lie: we were a bit stoked by the arrival of this yellow explorer at Engadget's doorstep. Too bad it didn't exactly walk all the way from its warehouse, forcing us to go through the painful procedure of cutting up the tapes and untangling the ties of its shipping box. Five minutes later we've got a 4-pound robot on our hands, and we'd say overall the build quality is an eight out of ten (the cuts on the plastic parts could do with a finer finish) which is pretty good for a toy. You'll be pleased to know that those treads are for real and supported by a third mini roller at the back, but the friendly manual does say, "For indoor use only." Think we'll skip that page, thank you. Now kids, you might need your daddy's screwdrivers and some extra cash to feed the Roborover three "C" size batteries, and another three "AAAs" for the chunky IR remote. All ready to go? Skip along to learn how the Roborover explores the "ancient tombs of your parents' closet."%Gallery-75825%
