I, For One, Welcome Our New Robotic Lawn Mowing Overlords

Tuckerfan · Jun 12, 2017

Lawn of the machines?

A robot is cutting grass on the Parkway and Turnpike

Sharp-eyed drivers have spotted what appears to be an unmanned mower cutting the grass on the Garden State Parkway.

Their eyes aren't deceiving them.

There are six lawn care versions of a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner cutting the grass on the Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, and each one costs $83,000.

The mower, known as a TRAXX-RF, is manufactured by Texas based Alamo Industrial and deployed in areas that are deemed too hazardous for a mower operated by a person, said Thomas Feeney, a spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority which runs both highways.

They're used on terrain where a conventional riding mower could be in danger of rolling over, he said.

"They are used in retention basins, catch basins, and on steep embankments where conventional mowing may be unsafe - that is, in areas where conventional mowers don't fit or where the slope of the terrain is too steep," Feeney said . "The Authority has been using them since 2014."

The Turnpike Authority joins contractors in North and South Carolina, which also use remote controlled mowers to cut lawn and brush on rough terrain on the sides of highways. The mower is operated by a maintenance worker who uses a remote control with joysticks to control speed and steering, according to the company's website.
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mburtonk · Jun 12, 2017

Disappointing until they drive themselves. Although, whirling blades of death...

Dinner · Jun 13, 2017

I am disappointed there is not a red neck with a beer on top of them.

Bickendan · Jun 13, 2017

Dinner said: ↑

I am disappointed there is not a red neck with a beer on top of them.
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Someone needs to make a redneck mannequin holding an empty beer can and fasten it to one of these

oldfella1962 · Jun 13, 2017

Dinner said: ↑

I am disappointed there is not a red neck with a beer on top of them.
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George Jones will never make it to the liquor store jumping on this lawn mower! Old timers might get this reference.......

Ebeneezer Goode · Jun 13, 2017

mburtonk said: ↑

Disappointing until they drive themselves. Although, whirling blades of death...
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Hobo With a Shotgun vs Mechamower needs to be made!

Paladin · Jun 13, 2017

Begun the Turf Wars have.

Zombie · Jun 13, 2017

awwww man.....

They aren't robots. They are just radio controlled cars.

Dammit. I was hoping this article would be about a regular lawnmower converted into a robot. I'd buy it for my yard. I hate mowing.

Tuckerfan · Jun 13, 2017

Zombie said: ↑

awwww man.....

They aren't robots. They are just radio controlled cars.

Dammit. I was hoping this article would be about a regular lawnmower converted into a robot. I'd buy it for my yard. I hate mowing.
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Lawnboy used to make one, I don't know if they still do. I think that iRobot (the folks that make the Roomba) have one.

Will Power · Jun 13, 2017

Robot snow shoveling machines would be good too. Especially on days & nights when the windchill is deadly.

Tuckerfan · Jun 13, 2017

Tuckerfan said: ↑

Zombie said: ↑

awwww man.....

They aren't robots. They are just radio controlled cars.

Dammit. I was hoping this article would be about a regular lawnmower converted into a robot. I'd buy it for my yard. I hate mowing.
Click to expand...

Lawnboy used to make one, I don't know if they still do. I think that iRobot (the folks that make the Roomba) have one.
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Looks like Lawnboy stopped making theirs. (it was pretty cool, solar powered, had it's own little "dog house" that it lived in. The CIA used them.)

Amazon's got at least one new one by Worx. It's $900.

Captain X · Jun 19, 2017

I actually did a Tech Ventures project using the idea of large-scale autonomous mowers.

Tuckerfan · Jun 21, 2017

The inventor of the Roomba wants to sell you a robot to weed your garden.

The inventor of the Roomba just launched a weed-killing robot named Tertill

Franklin Robotics, a Massachusetts-based robotics company with a team that includes the inventor of the Roomba, just launched a Kickstarter campaign for its newest robot. This time it’s not a carpet-cleaning or floor-cleaning bot, but one designed to kill the weeds in your garden.

Called Tertill, the round, 2.5-pound bot uses sensors to identify weeds in a vegetable or flower garden. It then uses a spinning string trimmer to cut off weeds near the ground. But it’s not using any fancy cameras or artificial intelligence to identify weeds. Instead, chief technology officer Joe Jones says, it’s relying on cheap capacitive sensors to determine whether the plants it has brushed up against are tall or short.

“The big problem with weeding is, how do you tell the difference between a weed and a plant that you want to keep?” Jones said in an interview with The Verge. “With a garden, you can recognize the difference between weeds and crops based on size. So anything that’s short enough to go under the robot is considered a weed, and anything taller is considered a plant.” What about short plants that you don’t want Tertill to whack? The solution there is a Tertill-resistant collar you can put around new plants until they’ve grown tall.

It’s a relatively low-tech approach to this kind of land-sweeping robot, and it’s unclear at this point how well it will actually work. The Tertill is also solar-powered, and is supposed to run every day, which its creators say will also help keep weeds from thriving.

But Jones said he hopes the bot will grow smarter over time, and, that if it’s a successful product, he plans to add more features. One feature the team has considered adding is a kind of motion sensor-triggered reaction that would cause the bot to move and help scare pests and rodents away. They might also utilize artificial neural networks to make Tertill smarter. “I used to be quite against neural nets,” Jones said over the phone, “but they’ve won me over.”

Tertill costs $199 on Kickstarter right now, and is expected to ship in March 2018. Jones says that it will likely cost around $300 if and when the Tertill goes into full production.

Most recently, Jones and his team were running Harvest Automation, a robotics company focused on moving potted plants around nurseries and greenhouses. Harvest Automation also developed robots designed to work in e-commerce fulfillment centers.

But Jones’ biggest claim to fame is undoubtedly the Roomba, which Jones is credited for inventing. iRobot first started selling the robot vacuum cleaners in 2002, after years of Jones trying to get the bot off the ground (erm, floor). The company has since sold more than 15 million Roombas.

Jones once told New York magazine that the one thing he’s learned about robots is “they always break your heart. One way or another. What you do is try again.”
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TheLonelySquire · Jul 11, 2017

They should paint it orange so it could be a prison robot.

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Log in or Sign up

I, For One, Welcome Our New Robotic Lawn Mowing Overlords

Tuckerfan BMF

mburtonk mburtonkulous

Dinner 2012 & 2014 Master Prognosticator

Bickendan Custom Title Administrator Faceless Mook Writer

oldfella1962 the only real finish line

Ebeneezer Goode Gobshite

Paladin Overjoyed Man of Liberty

Zombie dead and loving it

Tuckerfan BMF

Will Power If you only knew the irony of my name.

Tuckerfan BMF

Captain X Responsible cookie control

Tuckerfan BMF

TheLonelySquire Fresh Meat

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