Basic Autonomous Mowing

Today, we’re going to talk about basic operation of the Greenzie Autonomous Mowing software on a Robotic Ready mower.

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There are 2 steps to engage Autonomous Mowing: Map and Mow.

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Step 1 is to map an area for the robotic worker to take over and finish.  This is done via mowing manually the outer boundary. We refer to this as mapping or drawing the boundary.

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To map, simply press the map button on the mower.

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Next, simply mow the outer perimeter or boundary.  You can pause to pick up trash, or move debris.  Your goal is to map out a large area, or section for the robotic worker to mow efficiently inside.

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Once you are back to the starting point, it’s time for step 2, engaging the autonomous mowing.

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Turn off the blades, switch the mower to autonomous operation on the mower control panel, move 10 ft away, and press and hold the Mow button on the remote control.

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That’s it. The mower will turn on the blades, navigate safely and efficiently to stripe the mapped area, and return to the starting point. 

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While the mower is mowing, you can complete other activities: mowing with another mower, edging, blowing, doing detailed work, talking to customers, or eating lunch. At all times, you can use the e-stop to pause or stop operation.

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It will avoid any obstacles, and if anything gets too close, the mower will stop, blades will cut off, and it will alert the operator via a vibration on the safety remote control.

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Here are some tips for mapping:

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* The most productive flow for crews using Greenzie is to start autonomous map+mow first and do manual detail work second. If your robotic worker is mowing a large area and you are finished with detail work, you can team up with Greenzie and mow the remaining area of the map.

* Map out sections for your robotic worker, large flat areas: the repetitive stuff you’d give a robotic worker to do.

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* For now, for safety and efficiency, do not put your boundary map near fences, houses, sidewalks, or other obstacles. While the mower will turn and stay inside the boundary, this will prevent any pauses, stops, or sensitivity towards obstacles.

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* Do not put your boundary on slopes. If there are slopes or hills in the middle, that’s generally OK, but if the robotic worker has to pause or stop on a hill, it can slip or rut the grass.  We’re improving the software and capabilities constantly, but for now, stay away from slopes for autonomous mowing usage.

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Basic operation of mapping and mowing with Greenzie Autonomous Mowing helps you be more efficient and get more done.  The two steps are mapping and mowing.

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