Solar Robot Designed For Landscape Work

Solar Robot Designed For Landscape Work MOWERS The all-electric Land Care Robot LCR from Directed Machines is an all-purpose mechanized helper for small acreages fruit growers nurseries and more The 50 by 80-in LCR can be controlled from a smartphone to operate autonomously or in “follow-me” mode With its Cat I 3-pt hitch 2-in receiver hitch and electric pto it can handle a wide variety of implements and tasks Equipped with ATV-style tracks it can handle slopes of up to 45 degrees “The LCR is like a smartphone with different options ” says Dan Abramson co-founder Directed Machines “You can mow tow blade snow or dirt almost anything you could do with a small tractor It can even be used for security patrols or scaring away predators All of which can be done autonomously ” The LCR is a relatively simple machine designed for DIY maintenance with many off-the-shelf components The company is dedicated to customer right-to-repair Other components are built by the company to hold down costs The first LCR was built by retired Microsoft software engineer George Chrysanthakopoulos His goal was a solar-powered robot for snow removal Discussions with neighboring small-scale farmers lead him to design and program the LCR “I was the fourth buyer of an LCR ” explains Abramson Customers are golf courses solar farms rural properties high-volume garden nurseries farms and more which has allowed the company to do extensive research on how the platform fits diverse needs “The two most popular uses so far have been mow and tow ” says Abramson “As a result we have made a lot of changes and improvements to our mowing capability ” When first introduced in 2020 the LCR was equipped with a 48-in stainless steel mower deck which like the 3-pt hitch is manufactured in-house Directed Machine mower decks can now be customized in size from 48 to 144 in and equipped with either blades or string trimmers Blades and string trimmers can be readily switched out “We use all stainless steel instead of mild steel for the frame and many components ” says Abramson “It’s highly resistant to corrosion and avoids the need for costly painting systems The single bent steel plate chassis and frame will look as good 100 years from now as the day it was delivered ” The zero-turn 1 400-lb LCR is equipped with up to 30 kWh of energy storage and a 400W bi-facial solar panel It’s powered by a 45 kW 60-hp electric drive with 1 400-ft lbs torque and more than 6 000 lbs towing capacity The 3-pt hitch has a 2 000-lb lift capacity The low-cost chain drive can be field replaced or repaired with easy-to-source parts They and the mower deck are controlled by a 300A at 48V board custom designed and produced by Directed Machine The operating system is designed around a Raspberry Pi 4 The credit card-sized single-board computer has been proven in countless applications since its 2012 introduction “We do with a $35 computer what Tesla and others have accomplished with billions of dollars in investments and expensive hardware ” says Abramson “Machine vision allows us to work in areas where GPS is occluded such as under heavy foliage or solar panels ” says Abramson “Higher energy applications will have to rely on the battery pack; however the solar panels are usually sufficient to power the LCR indefinitely for applications like towing ” Base price on the LCR is $14 999 without batteries The 10 kW sealed acid batteries add around $2 000 to the cost versus $6 000 for 10 kW lithium ferrous phosphate batteries Mower deck tire type skid steer/turf/mud/ATV tracks 3-pt hitch and other options all impact the final price “A typical LCR delivered runs between $25 000 and $35 000 depending on applications ” says Abrahamson ” Abrahamson notes that the company website is currently under redesign and update The new site when completed will have current features and specifications Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Directed Machines 6795 E Marginal Way S Seattle Wash 98108 ph 360-777-6268 Ext 101; mobile 425-270-9958; dan@directedmachines com; www directedmachines com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.