LATEST MARVEL

Evening Star, Issue 25882, 28 August 1946, Page 7

LATEST MARVEL

RADIO-CONTROLLED PLOUGH

RANGE OF 25 MILES

(Ni.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent.)

LONDON, August 27. A radio-controlled plough tractor has been demonstrated successfully on a farm near Potter’s Bar, adjacent to London. It is an ordinary light six horse-powCr model fitted with the “ Queen

Bee ” apparatus used for control

ling pilotless planes. The operator at the transmitting van used switches which made the tractor go forward, reverse, and turn left and right. At the same time it

raised or lowered the plough. The operator had the plough in view all the time, and his signals were on a 60-metre wave length, which was equally effective un to 25 miles. The tractor was pushed''into position, but thell moved by itself, and in 10 minutes it had ploughed 10 furrows edclt 65 yards long. The work of assembly was done by a small firm of tractor manufacturers, co-operating with the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. Mr ,T. C. Reach, managing director of the tractor company, who thought of the idea, believes it is capable of easing and speeding many of the operations in farming routine. It is suggested that one operator will be able to control six tractors, ■ though the vital question of guiding them outside the range of ' vision of the operator has yet to be solved. Technicians believe that the tractor could be made to “ see its own way " by means of radar. It Was stated “ A man could sit in a control cabin protected from the weather while the tractors did the work.’*

This invention will mean a great deal to, farmers, because they cannot find enough workers for ploughing, sowing, harrowing, and rolling.