Australian startup LINTTAS is on the verge of a groundbreaking partnership with the University of Southern Queensland to advance its revolutionary combine harvester concept. Focused on electrification and a pioneering linear threshing approach, LINTTAS aims to create a virtual prototype within a year that could demonstrate up to 30% energy savings compared to traditional harvesters. This collaboration will facilitate crucial research and development, enabling LINTTAS to bring their innovative design closer to reality.
“With a virtual prototype, we will have something we can demonstrate. We can show people how this works, and how it can save energy,” explains Terry Krieg, one of the initiators. The concept, which integrates electrification and a novel linear threshing system, promises not only efficiency and speed but also significant cost-effectiveness. “In the history of harvesters, no one ever considered energy-saving,” Krieg emphasizes.
The journey to this point has been a long one for Krieg and co-initiator Malcolm Lucas, both hailing from South Australia. It took them nine years to develop their electric harvester, including the operation of an on-farm prototype. “We have taken all the learnings from that and have come up with a new concept design,” Krieg says. “We now want to demonstrate how this design works and build a virtual prototype. Then we can show in simulation how well this harvester performs.”
LINTTAS is also in discussions with several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) overseas. “Our first choice is to maximize the benefit for Australia, but we recognize this is really a global industry. What we are looking for is a potential production partner so we can come up with a real field prototype that we can eventually take into production and sell around the world,” Krieg notes. He believes that their technology is a game-changer, not just for combine harvesters but potentially for other agricultural machines as well. “It’s a whole different way of designing a machine because it’s electric.”
The integration of AI and machine learning into the harvester is another key feature. “Because the electrics give this precise control over shaft speeds, we can use AI to adapt as the combine harvester moves through the crop, as the characteristics of the crop change. That is the key advantage of electrics,” Krieg explains. LINTTAS has consulted extensively with farmers, understanding that while the electric aspect is revolutionary, the performance and cost savings are what will ultimately drive adoption.
Initially, the electric harvester will be powered by a diesel generator, with the potential to convert to hydrogen power as that technology becomes available. The company plans to use induction motors to keep costs low and has developed an innovative grain separation process. The Linear Threshing, Turbulent Air Separation (LINTTAS) system maximizes the benefits of electrification in the grain separation process. The company has filed a provisional patent for its core system and is considering an international patent as well.
LINTTAS aims to establish a new business model with a machine that is fully repairable by farmers, utilizing off-the-shelf components wherever possible. “This has to be considered at the design stage. We believe the right to repair is really important,” Krieg says. “For a long time, farmers have been held to ransom by big OEMs. Parts and repairs are often expensive.”
Krieg and Lucas presented their journey and concept at the international trade fair Agritechnica in Hanover, Germany, last November. “One of the reasons we went to Hanover was to check where we are in the world with our progress,” Krieg explains. “It turns out no one else seems to be working on what we are doing. There are electric tractors for generally under 100 horsepower, but there doesn’t seem to be a solution for large machines. People are still looking at diesels.”
Looking ahead, Krieg envisions a future where farmers could potentially produce hydrogen on their farms using solar power. “A farmer can use one of his paddocks as a solar farm, for example, and actually generate hydrogen that can be used as fuel. Whether that is a feasible solution in the long run, we don’t know,” he adds.
Supported by Australian innovation programs such as Farmers2Founders and growAg, LINTTAS is well-positioned to tackle the challenges ahead. “They’ve been really good. It has been particularly helpful to think through the challenges,” Krieg concludes.