Yanmar announced its SMARTPILOT-equipped Auto and Robot tractors on 27 June 2018, with sales scheduled for October that year. Both configurations used precision positioning and automated driving functions, while the Robot version supported unmanned field operation under an operator’s surveillance.
The release described modes for automatic turns and reversing as well as straight-line operation with manually handled manoeuvres. A tablet interface supported route creation and monitoring, and Yanmar illustrated one person supervising an unmanned tractor while driving a second machine. Sensors, warning lights and tablet-based emergency stopping were identified for the Robot configuration. Factory upgrades were also proposed for certain existing YT tractors. This was a commercially oriented, supervised automation model; the source explicitly tied unmanned operation to surveillance rather than presenting the machine as independent of human responsibility.
