HUMBOLDT – The City of Humboldt is exploring robotic lawn mowers to assist in maintaining its parks. The robotic mower will supplement traditional mowers in park operations.
Michael Ulriksen, director of community and leisure services, said, “The unit that we have ordered and hope to receive in advance of the spring season is an autonomous mower that is programmed to cut the grass within a defined area using GPS guidance technology. The unit will need to be programmed, and minor maintenance will be handled by staff. However, the unit itself is autonomous and does not require direct operator input to operate.”
The City of Humboldt has purchased a Husqvarna 550 EPOS at a cost of $7,000, plus $1,200 for the charging station. The new robotic mower is 72 cm in length, 56 cm in width and 32 cm in height.
Ulriksen said that as technology advances, robotic mowers are expected to become more common in municipal settings. They are currently in use in similar operations but are not yet standard in municipal maintenance.
“Our interest in the mower is to test the technology and determine how it might be integrated into our long-term parks’ maintenance plans. We expect this technology will continue to evolve, and we think there is significant potential for robotics and AI in the parks and recreation industry.”
Ulriksen went on to say one of the key benefits is that it will allow the city to cut grass during lower-use periods. The mowers are capable of running during off-hours, such as overnight, when they will have no impact on users or other operations. If the units prove effective, there is potential for significant cost savings compared to a traditional mower.
The city will initially focus on its ball diamonds and sports fields, where it can set clearer parameters and boundaries, and over time, it hopes to expand to other park spaces and harder-to-access areas.
The city also considered safety for staff, users and the general public. The technology and safeguards in place are significant, and the risk of property damage or injury is far lower than with a traditional mower, Ulriksen said.
