A System of Semi-Autonomous Tandem Mowers for Mowing Roadside Area

Maintaining the road requires regular mowing of ditches and roadside areas. This is mainly done using mowers mounted on agricultural tractors. The trend is to introduce autonomous mowing systems, but so far a number of autonomous solutions for mowing short grass (home lawns, golf courses), and there are few autonomous mower solutions for mowing tall grass on the market. The first part of the article describes the conditions determining work on the development of lawn mowers. Then, a proposal for a semi-autonomous control system for tandem mowers for mowing roadside areas was presented. As part of its construction, a fully functional set was designed and built, consisting of two mowers: wheeled and tracked, a remote control system for the first mower, and a high-level computer with implemented software ensuring autonomous mowing with the second mower under active operator supervision. A series of field tests conducted allowed us to assess the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed solution. Mowing efficiency was assessed by the consistency of subsequent mowing paths. The obtained results indicate that the development of the developed system will significantly improve mowing efficiency and increase employee safety.