¶ Plustech Oy autonomous forestry machine
Description: Plustech Oy was a Finnish R&D company and Timberjack affiliate (later part of John Deere) known for developing the innovative "Walking Forest Machine" prototype in the 1990s. This six-legged, computer-controlled harvester was designed to navigate steep, soft, or uneven terrain by walking and stepping over obstacles, minimizing environmental damage to the forest floor.
Key Aspects of Plustech Oy & The Walking Machine:
The Concept: Developed as a solution for challenging forestry environments, the machine could move in any direction, turn on the spot, and maintain a level cabin on, for example, steep slopes.
Prototype Development: Initiated in 1995, the walking machine prototype (often called "Plusjack" or "Spider") was presented in 1999.
Technology: It used sensors to map terrain, ensuring stable foot placement and automatic terrain adjustment. It was controlled with a single joystick.
Relationship to Industry: Plustech was part of Timberjack’s European R&D Centre in Tampere, Finland. It was later absorbed into the John Deere group.
Status: While highly advanced and often cited as a pioneering robotic forestry machine, it was a research prototype and did not enter commercial production
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