Re: rec tech mower

On 4/15/2025 4:42 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 4/15/2025 2:33 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Tue, 15 Apr 2025 13:29:16 -0400, Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>

On 4/15/2025 8:39 AM, AMuzi wrote:

On 4/14/2025 9:48 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
I'm not an expert but there were or are corded electrics as I knew
someone who loved his. Assuming your house is roughly centered on the
lot a 100ft cord would do.

>
I know those exist, but there's no way it would work. I just counted,
and there are at least 13 "islands" of landscaping, large trees or other
obstacles I have to cut around. They'd require far too much
backtracking, etc. if I were dragging a cord.

>
Perhaps a robot lawn mower that goes around the trees?
<https://www.google.com/search? q=robotic%20lawn%20mower&udm=2>
<https://www.youtube.com/results? search_query=robot%20lawn%20mower>

 I've been paying attention to the development of those for years. There are now a couple models that don't require the buried wire barrier systems (like Invisible Fences for dogs), but use some local electronics that enhance GPS for precise location. Supposedly one can manually steer the mower around the lot and "teach" it where to mow and what to avoid. They're quite pricey, though! I've got about 25,000 square feet to mow, and the Luba brand capable of that is about $3000. That would get me a lot of teenager hours, if I can recruit a new one. Also, its level of technology makes me worry about long term reliability.
 I had a thought about a simpler alternative that would require far less technology. I'm not a guy that wants beautiful lawn stripes, so I usually mow by cutting the perimeter clockwise, then working my way inward, always straddling the boundary between "that's cut" and "that's not cut." Seems that a self propelled mower should be able to do most of that on its own, if it could reliably tell the difference between "cut" and "not yet cut." The "steering" logic seems pretty simple, based on separate drives for the left wheel and right wheel (or perhaps, left and right "tank tracks" to handle lawn lumps and holes).
 But I haven't been able to dream up a sensor system, especially because in dry times, there will be patches that are very non-uniform height. (My lawn is a diverse ecosystem, the farthest thing from a putting green.) Machine vision could probably do it, but that's very complex.
 

I bricked in my front yard at a house I owned. Very happy with that over the years,  and no mowing.
--
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971