Farmville IRL

🚜 How it works: The functionality comes in the form of an update to Deere's existing 8R series tractor, which current users will be able to purchase once the autonomous driving software goes live later this year.

• Farmers will be able to use their smartphone to remotely monitor and send commands to the tractor, which uses a combination of cameras, sensors, and GPS technology to navigate farmland.
• John Deere hopes its technology will help remove farmers from close proximity to heavy machinery, which contributes to an industry-wide fatality rate ~20 times higher than the average across all sectors.

💬 What they're saying: "The last time agriculture was on the precipice of this much change was when we were on the cusp of replacing the horse and plow," John Deere CTO Jahmy Hindman told Axios.