Autonomy in Action: Scalable Engineering from Platform to Virtual Field

This webinar brings together three engineering leaders - Emily Horn, Pooja Nikam, and Aleana Gongal - for Women in Engineering Day, to share how John Deere is building scalable Automation and Autonomy capabilities from the platform philosophy through real‑world application. 

Emily Horn opens with an overview of John Deere’s Automation and Autonomy toolset, outlining the guiding engineering principles, core capabilities, and the evolution of the teams and technologies that enable them.

Pooja then explores the FACT-eSim simulation ecosystem, highlighting key technologies such as an internally developed game‑engine‑based simulator, advanced sensor modeling, and flexible, high‑fidelity environments supporting diverse off‑road and material‑handling operations.

Aleana concludes with application‑level tools and techniques for design and testing, illustrated through SmartDetect - John Deere’s advanced camera‑based technology for wheel loaders. Using stereo cameras and machine‑learning algorithms, SmartDetect enhances operator awareness by identifying people and obstacles in real time, providing visual and audible alerts.

Together, the speakers reflect the impact of women leading complex, end‑to‑end engineering systems from concept to deployment.

John Deere is an industry leader in agriculture and construction automation and has invested in a simulation strategy to help them decrease their dependence on field testing and data collection.  Come learn about their strategy, their tools, and see an example of this approach in action.

Y​our Primary Presenter

Pooja Nikam is a Lead Engineer at John Deere, working in the domain of perception simulation and virtual engineering. She brings strong expertise in Computer Vision and Machine Learning, with a deep understanding of the real‑world challenges faced by perception‑driven applications. Her work focuses on translating these challenges into high‑fidelity simulation solutions, including advanced perception sensor modeling, to enable early, scalable, and robust validation. By collaborating with perception and product teams, she helps improve system robustness while significantly increasing development efficiency. Pooja is passionate about using simulation‑driven insights to accelerate product readiness and reduce time‑to‑market.