What they do
Rheinmetall was founded in 1889 as the "Rheinische Metallwaren- und Maschinenfabrik Aktiengesellschaft." Today, the publicly listed Rheinmetall AG, headquartered in Düsseldorf, stands as an integrated technology group known for being both a company of strong substance and international success. They are active in various markets with an innovative range of products and services.
Rheinmetall is a leading international systems provider for the defense industry and also a driving force behind pioneering technological and industrial innovations in civilian markets. Their commitment to sustainability is a core part of their corporate strategy, with the goal of achieving CO₂ neutrality by 2035.
Through their work across diverse fields, Rheinmetall takes responsibility in a rapidly changing world. With their technologies, products, and systems, they create the essential foundation for peace, freedom, and sustainable development: security.
“Spleenlab’s safe software solutions add a significant value to our products on land and in the air. We are happy to achieve our digitalization goals with Spleenlab as a partner”
Timo Haas | CDO, Rheinmetall AG
The Project
The Combined Powers project is a collaborative effort between LEMKEN and KRONE aimed at advancing autonomous agricultural machinery. This partnership leverages the strengths and expertise of both companies to develop innovative solutions for modern agriculture.
The project focuses on creating autonomous process units that can perform tasks currently handled by drivers, addressing the labor shortage in agriculture. These units are designed to work efficiently in both arable and grassland farming, with features like front linkage with PTO shaft for improved functionality.
1
Robust Perception in Harsh Field Conditions
Developing reliable perception algorithms that can handle dust, varying weather, and complex agricultural environments to ensure safe autonomous operation.
2
Seamless Integration of Tractor and Implement as One System
Creating coordinated control strategies that treat the towing vehicle and attached implement as a single optimized unit for diverse agricultural tasks.
3
Real-Time, Cost-Effective Sensor Solutions
Achieving precise environmental awareness using monocular depth estimation and minimal hardware, balancing performance with cost and system complexity.
Challenges
The AI solution
Combined Powers: Pioneering Autonomy in Agricultural Machinery
As LEMKEN and Krone, our motivation is to be a pioneer in autonomy and take it to a new level. For this reason, we have launched the “Combined Powers” project, which has the goal to transfer the tasks currently performed by drivers to autonomous processes in order to address the existing labor shortage.
Our interdisciplinary teams from agriculture, automation and robotics, with a variety of specialists from computer science, are working on solutions to consider the towing vehicle in combination with the implement as a unit, optimized for each individual process.
Solving the Technical Challenges of Autonomous Farming
With Spleenlab as an experienced partner in safe autonomous driving we have found a teammate with which both can grow together through new challenges. A perfect synergy in the perception of the environment, which is enhanced by an additional safety line, the camera system. They impress with solutions that provide high-tech applications for use in the field, especially the monocular depth estimation. Based on single shot algorithms, the hardware requirements are kept to a minimum. Costly stereo cameras, for example, which require a complex system setup, can be replaced.
Their algorithms are undoubtedly able to compete with state-of-the-art sensor systems and do not have to hide. In combination with Multi-Object-Tracker, we are able to classify and localize obstacles. This approach us used to avoid personal injury. For further collision avoidance with less critical obstacles, the free-space algorithm is the perfect complement to the overall concept.
On top of this comes the Continuous Extrinsic Online Calibration, which is responsible for both monitoring and ensuring the correct parameters. This ensures that all sensor data can be relied upon.
Spleenlab is working closely with us to customize algorithms specifically for agricultural use cases. Given the frequent occurrence of dust and varying weather conditions in the field, these algorithms need to be robust. The results so far have been very promising, and we are confident that we will achieve a reliable and robust series solution with Spleenlab.
VISIONAIRY® GPS-Denied Navigation
Enables Quantum-Systems drones to detect and track multiple targets simultaneously with high accuracy, even in complex and GPS-denied environments. Optimized for onboard AI processing, it enhances situational awareness and supports autonomous mission execution by providing real-time, reliable target monitoring.
VISIONAIRY® Single Object Tracking
Our Single Object Tracking solution equips Quantum-Systems drones to reliably follow a selected target with high precision throughout the mission. Real-time onboard processing ensures stable tracking and continuous updates, even in dynamic or GPS-denied environments, supporting focused, responsive operations.
VISIONAIRY® GPS-Denied Navigation
Our GPS-Denied Navigation solution leverages Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) combined with Map-Based Relocalization to enable Quantum-Systems drones to accurately localize and navigate autonomously when GPS is unavailable or jammed. By fusing visual and inertial sensor data with pre-built maps, the drones maintain reliable positioning and mission continuity even in highly contested environments.
VISIONAIRY® GPS-Denied Navigation
Our GPS-Denied Navigation solution leverages Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO) combined with Map-Based Relocalization to enable Quantum-Systems drones to accurately localize and navigate autonomously when GPS is unavailable or jammed. By fusing visual and inertial sensor data with pre-built maps, the drones maintain reliable positioning and mission continuity even in highly contested environments.
Impact
Addressing Labor Shortages
By transferring driver tasks to autonomous processes, we are helping to mitigate the growing labor shortage in agriculture and ensure continuous productivity.
Enhanced Safety in the Field
Advanced perception algorithms and obstacle detection systems significantly reduce the risk of personal injury and collisions, even in complex agricultural environments.
Cost-Effective Technology Adoption
Monocular depth estimation and optimized hardware requirements make high-performance autonomous solutions accessible without the need for expensive sensor setups.
Reliable Performance in Harsh Conditions
Customized algorithms ensure robust and accurate operation despite dust, vibrations, and varying weather, supporting consistent results across diverse agricultural processes.