An unmanned tractor and seeding machine developed by engineers at UNSW will improve agricultural productivity for broad acre farmers and enable cropping on upwards of 20 per cent more land.

The Smart Seeder, developed by Associate Professor Jay Katupitiya from UNSW's School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering in partnership with the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC) uses advanced control systems and sensors to plant seeds and perform other tasks with a degree of accuracy previously not found in autonomous systems.

The research team behind the invention were finalists for the 2012 Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology. They are now working with the GRDC to pursue further development and commercial production.