대동 DAEDONG

-. Daedong strengthens its position as a key player driving AI transformation in Korean agriculture

-. Autonomous transport robot reduces repetitive labor while improving operational efficiency and lowering labor costs

-. Advanced autonomous driving and precision control technologies recognized, proving real-world applicability of Daedong’s combine harvester

 

Daedong (Co-CEOs Kim Jun-sik and Won Yu-hyun) announced on January 13, 2026 that its autonomous transport robot and combine harvester have become the first in the industry to receive the New Excellent Technology Agricultural Machinery Certification from the Rural Development Administration.

 

 

The certification represents formal government acknowledgement of Daedong’s capabilities in autonomous driving and precision automatic control technologies. More than a technical achievement, it confirms that these next-generation solutions are sufficiently advanced and practical to address structural challenges in agricultural fields, including an aging rural population and chronic labor shortages. Daedong previously obtained the same certification for its rice transplanter in 2021. With this latest recognition, the company has further strengthened its standing as a core technology leader driving the AI transformation of Korea’s agricultural sector.

 

The autonomous transport robot is a field robot designed to ease the physical workload of fruit farmers who must repeatedly move harvested produce within orchards. By handling transportation tasks, the robot allows farmers to focus on harvesting and loading and unloading operations. This reduces repetitive labor, improves overall work efficiency, and helps lower labor costs.

 

The robot offers three operating modes, wired control, remote control, and autonomous driving, making it accessible and easy to use for farmers with varying levels of experience. Built on a four-wheel drive platform, it is equipped with a cargo bed capable of carrying up to 300 kilograms, along with lift and dump functions, ensuring stable performance across diverse agricultural environments. Using a combination of a 3D camera, LiDAR, and dual RTK antennas, the robot accurately recognizes its surroundings and autonomously travels to up to 11 preset stopping points designated through a dedicated mobile application. The model previously become the first in Korea to receive certification as an autonomous agricultural powered transport vehicle from the Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency.

 

Certified alongside the transport robot is Daedong’s autonomous combine harvester, the DH-6135-A, which features Level 3 autonomous operation. After a single harvesting pass along the outer boundary of a field, the system automatically generates an optimal working route. When the grain tank reaches full capacity, the combine autonomously moves to a designated unloading point, enabling fully automated discharge driving. Under a typical operating scenario of harvesting a 3.3-hectare rice field over an eight to nine hour workday, the time a farmer needs to manually operate the combine is reduced to approximately two hours. This significantly lowers operator fatigue and improves overall working conditions. 

 

Beyond autonomous driving, the combine was highly rated for its precision automation technologies, which automatically adjust header ground response, feeding depth, and leveling in real time based on crop and field conditions. The combine also allows operators to monitor real-time yield data via the onboard display, while a mobile application provides yield information by individual field sections in five-by-five meter grids. This capability has been implemented in Korea for the first time.

 

Meanwhile, the Rural Development Administration’s New Excellent Technology Agricultural Machinery Certification is awarded to outstanding technologies that are either newly developed in Korea or represent significant improvements to existing solutions, with a strong emphasis on field applicability, commercialization potential, and economic and technological impact. Agricultural machinery that receives this certification becomes eligible for a range of benefits, including priority purchasing by local governments and public institutions, government subsidies and financing support, and preferential access to public procurement programs.