LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The future of lawn care has arrived at one of Kentucky's most historic venues, where autonomous "mowbots" are helping maintain the grounds at Red Mile racetrack.
LexCut, a local landscaping company, rolled out the new robotic technology just over a month ago and is now using the autonomous mowers across 140 acres of commercial properties.
"Funny story, when we got them, I brought my son up here to show him, and he was like, 'Daddy, Daddy, are those mowbots?' So we've decided to call them mowbots, and essentially it's just a bigger version of the Roomba you have at home," said Joe Brewer, president of LexCut.
The mowbots, built by Scythe Robotics, are autonomous, all-electric machines designed to help commercial properties reduce the time spent cutting grass and reduce environmental impact. The technology allows operators to outline a property and mark areas to avoid, such as holes, poles or wet spots, before the robot maps out its own mowing route.
"These will lay perfectly straight lines no matter how rough the terrain is," Brewer said.
The robots can operate up to eight hours on a full charge and can mow an acre and a half per hour, depending on the terrain. This efficiency frees up LexCut employees to tackle other tasks.
The mowbots are equipped with safety features that cause them to pause automatically when they encounter objects or people. An operator can also start and stop the machines remotely using a controller.
At Red Mile racetrack, which is preparing for its Grand Circuit meet, the robotic assistance comes at a crucial time when all available help is needed to maintain the venue's appearance.
"We are going to welcome a lot of folks from around the country, we’re going to welcome horses, drivers and trainers, there's a lot of work going on, and the robots are part of the team now and we're happy to have them help us make the red mile look as good as it possibly can as we welcome race fans from across the country," said Emily Ratcliff, director of sponsorships at Red Mile.
For Brewer, the introduction of robotic technology at a venue steeped in tradition represents the future of the landscaping industry.
"At Lexcut we've got this really big vision of creating the new standard in the industry,” said Brewer. “We wanna take care of our people, our clients, and the environment," Brewer said. "We're never gonna be able to get completely away from the manual tasks of the industry, but it's gonna make the property look better, employees' lives look better, and the community…I mean it's pretty cool."
