Home: Lawnmower: Autonomous
Player Piano Mower   (+3, -1)  [vote for, against]
Self Propelled Automatic Lawn mower

Lawn mower has geared transmission to power rear wheels and turning mechanism on front and rear wheels.
On the front of the lawn mower is a cylinder on which an 8 1/2 x 11 guide sheet will wrap around. The guide sheet is a series of lines that are read by a laser sensor and signal the mower when to turn, at what time, and how long to continue going straight. This guide sheet is made on your computer by letting you graphically lay out the rows & turns and is then translated into the spiraling guide code. (a slight jog to left in the line indicates a quick left turn, a long jog to the right indicates a curved mowing path to the right, etc.)
The lawn mower will have bump sensors that will immediately shut the mower down if it bumps into anything. More deluxe models can have linewieght codes that translate into trimming attachment deployment. A panic button is standard equipment, so now you can sit in the shade on the patio and watch the mower do all the work.
-- Zimmy, Apr 12 2005

(?) For sale at Walmart http://www.walmart....A5428%3A4091%3A4890
I assumed it would be too expensive to have baked already. Thanks [bneal27] They even have a photo of the guy relaxing on the patio. [Zimmy, May 07 2005]

When they introduce the wifi or SD version, let me know.
-- bristolz, Apr 12 2005


I was so hoping we were going to have a description of a mower with musical accompaniment. I think you'd still need some on-board course correcting equipment that could compensate for inaccurate directions and keep the nose in the long grass.

I would still prefer to have the laser trimming system, where you have a track around the perimeter of the house which guides an outward facing laser around to trim all the grass down up to the perimeter of the yard, where a mirror strip is installed, angling the cutter beam safely into the dirt. Shrubs would be ringed with their own protective mirror system to keep from being burned down. The laser would be relatively low powered, and take multiple passes to complete the cut, the last pass hitting sensors in the outer ring to let the system know all the grass had been trimmed down. Only ashen mulch to make your yard a healthy green would remain.

Hell, I should enter my own suggestion, except it's probably already done, and I don't feel like searching it out.

Now, if the outer ring of mirrors were rigged to emit a musical note when struck by a laser beam ...
-- Soterios, Apr 12 2005


Baked. Actually for sale at our local gardening multi store. Underneath it is a spinning rod with a piece of string attached to it which cuts through the grass. It can be preset to a specific pattern or it can move at random and change direction everytime it bumps into something. It was nice to see the show model working in the store.
-- zeno, Apr 12 2005


I had a similar idea a couple of years ago and actually did some work on it. Then I came across the one that is available now. Of course it is pretty expensive - $1150 US at Wal-Mart.

How about a low-tech version that runs on a small discreet track installed at the base of the grass?
-- bneal27, May 07 2005



random, halfbakery