Trampling Analysis of Autonomous Mowers: Implications on Garden Designs

Abstract

Several trials have been carried out by various authors concerning autonomous mowers, which are battery-powered machines. The effects of these machines on turfgrass quality and energy consumption have been thoroughly investigated. However, there are still some aspects that have not been studied. Among these, random trajectory overlapping is one of the most important. To investigate these aspects, two RTK-GPS devices along with the custom-built software used for previous trials has been upgraded in order to precisely calculate how many times the mower drives over the same spot using random trajectories. This parameter, the number of passages in the same position, was hypothesized to explain the autonomous mower’s overlapping and trampling action. The trial has been carried out testing a commercial autonomous mower on three areas with different levels of complexity to assess its performances. The following variables were examined: the percentage of mowed area, the distance travelled, the number of intersections, the number of passages, and the autonomous mower’s work efficiency. The average percentage of area mown (average value for the three areas) was 54.64% after one hour and 80.15% after two hours of work. Percentage of area mown was 15% higher for the area with no obstacles after two hours of work. The number of passages was slightly different among the three garden designs. The garden with no obstacles obtained the highest number of passages with an average of 37 passages. The highest working efficiency was obtained in the garden with an intermediate number of obstacles with a value of 0.40 after two hours of work. The estimated energy consumption resulted 0.31 Wh m−2 after one hour and 0.42 Wh m−2 after two hours of working. These results highlight how the correct settings of cutting time may be crucial to consistently save energy during the long period and may be useful for a complete automation of the maintenance of green areas.

Monitoring Autonomous Mowers Operative Parameters on Low-Maintenance Warm-Season Turfgrass

“…In general, autonomous mowers constant activity has been shown to improve turf quality by enhancing turf density, decreasing weed incidence, and improving leaf texture (in general smaller and finer) [10]. In addition, continuous mechanical stress and trampling damage attributed to autonomous mowers are challenging factors for turfgrass quality [11].…”

“…In this regard, Martelloni et al [12] and Sportelli et al [11] analyzed fundamental parameters related to the random trajectories. The Real Time Kinematic navigation system was very helpful to better understand the effective impact of autonomous mowers trampling damages and soil compaction.…”

Prediction of the Equivalent Steering Angle of a Front-Wheel, High-Clearance Paddy Field Management Machine

“…With the development of digital agriculture, the working environment for agricultural practitioners has been improved and their labor intensity has been reduced [1]. As a key technology in precision agriculture, automatic driving has been greatly emphasized by an increasing number of researchers [2][3][4][5][6]. Unmanned agricultural machinery can play a role in reducing labor intensity, decreasing input costs, and increasing profitability [7].…”