Autonomous mowers present a valuable opportunity for facility managers looking to optimize operations and enhance turf quality. But implementing autonomous mowers, especially for high-traffic institutional grounds, requires strategic planning. After testing multiple forms of autonomous mowers across various educational facility landscapes, we have found that success means understanding each mower and matching its characteristics to the specific needs of the site.
Preparing for Autonomous Mowers
Before implementing autonomous mowers, it is important to think about why a facility might need them and how the site may benefit from one. Using autonomy to create efficiency takes planning.
When thinking about the return on investment for autonomous mowers, use a critical lens. Some of the available ROI calculators use a one-to-one calculation of human labor, meaning that it’s assumed that each hour that the machine operates autonomously replaces a human labor hour, overstating labor savings. We have found, though, that humans are typically more efficient per hour than the current autonomous units. The value in autonomy is not in the number of hours it mows. It is in the number of hours it saves a team each week.
While it is not all about speed, providing an accurate estimate of how autonomy will affect productivity is an important part of planning. On top of that, autonomy often comes with additional costs, such as subscription fees for software, cellular data plans, and the infrastructure needed to install charging stations. An honest assessment of the costs of autonomy will provide the best information to make a financial decision for a site.
It is important to examine these factors when determining if and how to incorporate autonomous mowers into facility management plans. The value of autonomy often comes from the reallocation of human efforts. It frees up grounds teams to focus on their areas of expertise, including high-value horticultural work like edging, weeding, landscape bed detailing, maintenance, and more. These are the tasks that truly drive the aesthetic value of a facility, but they are usually the first to be neglected when crews are short-staffed.
Autonomy can also solve vacancies already existing in grounds departments. Ultimately, this creates higher-value jobs. Highlighting innovative technology and the opportunity to focus on high-value work is a compelling way to recruit a younger, tech-savvy workforce into a traditional trade.
Low-Power vs. High-Power Units
Deciding which autonomous mower is right for a facility is even more important than deciding to move towards autonomy. It is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Modern autonomous mowers are split into two distinct types that provide different value and have different use cases.
Low-power, continuous mowers are designed for high-frequency, low-impact maintenance. They typically weigh less and use smaller, razor-like blades, and are designed to cut multiple times per week. These are best for tight, hard-to-access areas with high visibility, or smaller areas like courtyards or sports fields. Because they cut small amounts of grass frequently rather than a large amount once a week, they promote turf quality and provide consistency in each cut. For sports fields, this improvement can make a real difference.
Low-power units are also generally quieter, which allows them to run near residences at night without disruption. However, they are limited in range and flexibility. Most have acreage caps, typically 10-15 acres. And, while some are solar-powered, many require a more permanent home base as they need a docking station with a power source. These are units that are typically left in place in a location and will cut on their own based on a schedule.
High-power units, on the other hand, are essentially the autonomous versions of the traditional mowers that grounds teams use. They look like zero-turn mowers but are equipped with motion sensors. Each unit is different, but some use LiDAR, GPS, and imagery to operate safely.
High-power autonomous mowers are best suited for large outlying areas, fields, and properties requiring travel between plots. Current units can reliably cover 25-30 acres a week, usually following the productivity of a traditional human-operated machine. Because of their power and size, these units currently require human supervision. In institutional settings, many safety protocols dictate that an operator remain in eyesight of the machine. This changes the role of an active driver to supervisor, freeing up time for detail-oriented tasks.
Ensuring the Right Infrastructure Is In Place
Before moving forward with implementation, facility managers should ensure that their sites are prepped and ready so teams can make the most of autonomous mowers. This means confirming access, charging capability, and examining the site for obstructions such as trees.
Examine perimeters and accessibility around the site. While a human can easily work with a gated sports field, robots cannot get through. If a property is bisected by a parking lot, a high-power unit might be able to navigate it, but a low-power unit will likely get stuck.
The technology needed may vary, but all units need some form of connectivity and potentially charging, whether through a dock or a power source. While many units offer Wi-Fi connectivity, some facilities may prefer using cellular data or Bluetooth for security reasons.
Once set up, autonomous mowers will need the site to be mapped. Requirements and abilities differ for each unit. Some require wires, which are limiting, while others use Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) satellite navigation or a singular mapping, where the machine remembers the path after being driven on it one time. After mapping autonomous mowers, monitor for GPS creep over time. The area it covers might slowly shift, requiring manual recalibration.
As these mowers continue to evolve, technology barriers are being shattered. For facility managers looking to implement autonomous mowers, consider a hybrid approach of having both traditional and autonomous units. If going fully autonomous, consider mixing low and high-powered units depending on access, tree cover, and size. This can allow the best characteristics of each mower to match your site to help solve your mowing needs.
