This ‘dual-use' electric tractor can sow fields and run guns

Yahoo

10 hours ago

A Spanish startup called Voltrac says it is building a new breed of smart tractor—one that could sow fields by day and run weapons to soldiers by night. And while the Hot Wheels-looking, fully electric tractor is currently remote-controlled, Voltrac is working to make its next version fully autonomous.
This 'dual-use' tractor, first spotted by The Next Web, reportedly weighs 3.5 tons—roughly the size of a young African elephant—and has a carrying capacity of nearly 8,900 pounds. It can reach a top speed of around 24 miles per hour and operate for anywhere between 8 to 20 hours, thanks to two large 200kW batteries. The Voltrac comes equipped with a suite of sensors and onboard cameras that can be used to monitor a crop field—or a mine-filled battlefield.
Currently, the Voltrac is remotely controlled by a human operator who steers the machine through a first-person point of view. The company told TNW it's currently awaiting EU regulatory approval to allow the machine to operate fully autonomously. In theory, they say, one remote operator, be it a farmer or a military commander, could oversee multiple shiny steel tractors working simultaneously. Voltrac says its low-profile tractor uses distributed electric propulsion via per-wheel motors, which it claims helps eliminate around 70 percent of traditional tractor components. That increased efficiency, they say, should reduce annual maintenance and operating costs for the owner by roughly 30 percent.
Voltrac did not immediately respond to Popular Science's request for comment.
As a farming tool, the Voltrac features a hitch that can be used to attach common tools of the trade like plows, mowers, or cutters. It also supports a large, attachable flatbed add-on for transporting containers full of tools and gear. The machine's cameras can be used to conduct what the company calls 'live experiments' on crops. The tractor could, for example, treat different parts of a field in slightly different ways to observe how plants respond to various treatments.
For military applications, the tractor could be used to remotely inspect areas for signs of mines, improvised explosive devices, or other unexploded ordnance. Its hefty carrying capacity means it could also be deployed to troops in difficult or dangerous-to-reach areas. Voltrac told TNW it is in early talks with several NATO departments regarding the tractor's potential use in military scenarios.
'It's built for tough terrain, and it doesn't risk human life. It can do the same job whether it's hauling crops or carrying ammo,' Voltrac's co-founder and CTO Francisco Infante Aguirre said in a recent interview with TNW.
Using farming equipment for war might sound odd, but it's not a totally novel idea. In Ukraine, farmers are already using basic tractors retrofitted with abandoned Russian tank parts to scour crop fields for unexploded mines. Others have reportedly built DIY radio-controlled tractors to clear mines and debris from contested farmland. Major militaries around the world—such as those of the US and France,—have already demonstrated the use of remote-controlled robots, similar in shape and size to the Voltrac, to aid in resupply efforts.
Voltrac likely still has hurdles to clear before reaching that stage. The company is still raising money and says it plans to start shipping its first tractors in early 2026.