| Two off-the-shelf John Deere utility mowers were modified for X-by-wire control for the purposes of constructing autonomous vehicles usable in sports-turf mowing applications. The purpose of these mules was to enable the gathering of requirements and customer feedback on such a system. The environment selected initially was that of a baseball stadium. These areas can be characterized as flat, highly controlled and well-groomed, for which precise mowing patterns are necessities. Typically the operators of these mowers are highly skilled; an autonomous system has the benefits of saving time and labor, permitting the efficient usage of less-skilled employees, and allowing skilled personnel to focus on more complex tasks (such as infield mowing and warning... |
