Someone buy me this lawnmower

[cbrunny]

http://www.valleyoutdoorpower.ca/product/450x-automower/

I don't want to cut my own grass anymore. C'mon. Only $4000. I'm worth it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSOTy0aq914

 

[waggy]

that's neat.

 

[Homerboy]

Why does an automatic lawnmower need headlights?

 

[Printer Bandit]

so basically it's a lawn roomba

 

[nickbits]

Why does an automatic lawnmower need headlights?

I assume so people can see it coming towards them.

 

[TheUnk]

These won't ever get stolen.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe a yard-departure self-destruction mechanism.

 

[zinfamous]

Does it just mow over the cat or can it avoid cats?

 

[twinrider1]

Why does an automatic lawnmower need headlights?

I assume so people can see it coming towards them.

And please apply this to daily driving. Turn your headlights on so others can see you, not just so you can see.

 

[Charmonium]

New model is around $2k

https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...OT1IKHVC2C0YQ2SsICA&ei=FBtGV_2uHs6eyQLQ7K6wBA

 

[Red Squirrel]

That's funny, I always thought it would be a neat idea, cool to actually see it happen.

I do wonder as well how good it is at avoiding animals though. I don't mind mowing the lawn though so I'll stick to my push mower. Speaking of which, I think I should go do that now, or tomorrow. First time this year that it's needed.

 

[waggy]

Does it just mow over the cat or can it avoid cats?

I think the programming to run them over cost extra.

 

[Eli]

I love our Roombas. NEED!

 

[Charmonium]

I think the programming to run them over cost extra.

It's baby bunnies you need to worry about. They'll build a nest in tall grass and any threat that comes along, they'll just freeze. Although I'm guessing this mower isn't designed to handle tall grass. I know my electric battery operated mower doesn't handle it very well.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Watched the video and it appears to me that they don't even attempt to do a minimum amount of work and the pattern of cut is, like the Roomba, pretty random. I would think that they could use a combination of the radio signal and GPS to actually learn the lawn and to do the least amount of work to cut it.

Although GPS isn't quite accurate enough without the high precision option not available to civilians the radio they mentioned could be used like a VORTAC station that sends out an omni pulse then sweeps through 360 degrees so that a receiver in the mower could know it's bearing and distance to the radio pretty accurately.

A combination of VORTAC and GPS should permit the mower to know where it is with sufficient precision that it can cut one row then index over 60% to cut the next row. As a rough guess this approach would reduce mower usage and cutting time by at least a factor of four. Having a few radio beacons like this would eliminate the need for GPS completely and likely give the mower cm accuracy.


Brian

 

[Midwayman]

It's baby bunnies you need to worry about. They'll build a nest in tall grass and any threat that comes along, they'll just freeze. Although I'm guessing this mower isn't designed to handle tall grass. I know my electric battery operated mower doesn't handle it very well.

So rabbit salad?

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Watched the video and it appears to me that they don't even attempt to do a minimum amount of work and the pattern of cut is, like the Roomba, pretty random.

I agree. Seemed pretty ridiculous to me. Even if GPS is too inaccurate how hard would it be to design an application to let the owner to manually map their yard?