In this episode of the IoT For All Podcast, Gaurav Bansal, VP of Engineering at Blue River Technology, a subsidiary of John Deere, joins Ryan Chacon to discuss the role of IoT, AI, and computer vision in smart farming and making farmers more efficient. The conversation also covers remote connectivity, Starlink, John Deere's autonomous tractor, and the biggest challenges faced by farmers, including population growth, climate change, and labor shortages.

About Gaurav Bansal

Gaurav Bansal is VP of Engineering at Blue River Technology, a subsidiary of John Deere, where he leads engineering for autonomy products, including John Deere’s autonomous tractor. Previously, Gaurav was Principal Researcher at Toyota InfoTechnology Center where he led several initiatives in perception, mapping, and connectivity, leveraging deep learning, sensor fusion, vehicular communications, and positioning techniques. Gaurav was also Principal Deep Learning Engineer at Acubed where he worked on creating autonomous flight and machine learning solutions to enable self-piloted aircraft.

Gaurav holds more than 50 patents in automated driving and co-authored 100 publications and a book on vehicular communications. He has received numerous awards including an early career award from IEEE Vehicular Technology. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from The University of British Columbia, and an Artificial Intelligence Graduate Certificate from Stanford University.

Interested in connecting with Gaurav? Reach out on LinkedIn!

About Blue River Technology

Blue River Technology, a subsidiary of John Deere, creates intelligent machinery that solves its customers' toughest challenges. They are empowering farmers to implement more sustainable solutions, optimize chemical usage, reimagine routine processes, and improve farming yields year after year.

Key Questions and Topics from this Episode:

(00:48) Introduction to Gaurav Bansal and John Deere

(02:04) The role of IoT and AI at John Deere

(05:37) Farming challenges and IoT solutions

(07:53) Examples of IoT and AI use cases

(14:49) Connectivity in remote farming areas

(16:42) The future of smart farming

(20:08) Learn more and follow up