The City of Calgary is testing out a new type of mower that is electric, quiet — and autonomous. This is the first time that a commercial-sized autonomous mower is being tried out in a City green space. This small-scale pilot involves one mower at a single location for 30 days starting in mid-May.
“Seeking more efficient ways to care for our park spaces is something we are always focused on,” said Parks & Open Spaces Director Kyle Ripley. “Part of this is trying out innovative ideas, like autonomous mowers, to see if we can identify an opportunity to improve our operations.”
The autonomous mower may operate like the vacuum robot in your house — with a charging station and pre-planned schedule — but it is a lot bigger and mows in straight lines instead of randomly. It’s about the size of a wooden packing pallet, weighs about 160 pounds and is built to keep grass at a more consistent height through regular trimming. The mower’s micro-mulching feature is expected to result in healthier grass over time, make it lusher and potentially require less water to keep the turf green.
Throughout the pilot, Parks & Open Spaces staff will monitor the mower’s status using a software application that also enables them to adjust the mowing schedule. Once the pilot is complete, The City will review the results to determine if autonomous mowers are a good fit for maintaining select park spaces.
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