Honda announced it will display the all-electric prototype Honda Autonomous Work Mower (AWM), the company’s first battery-powered electric zero-turn riding (ZTR) mower, aimed at boosting worksite efficiencies through autonomous solutions. The Honda AWM will be featured at the upcoming Equip Exposition, Oct. 17-20, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
Earlier this year, Honda successfully field tested a proof-of-concept version of the Autonomous Work Mower with a top US. commercial landscape company. To further advance the prototype AWM’s development, in 2024, Honda will begin a pilot program and is seeking companies to participate in assessing the AWM’s applicability to their work environments, the company said.
The prototype Honda AWM combines industry leading cutting performance and operator comfort with high location accuracy and obstacle detection. It is designed to help improve the efficiency of lawn care and landscape maintenance companies while offering an eco-conscious solution with zero emissions.
Capable of operating in manual or autonomous mode, when manually operated, the Honda AWM learns the mowing routes and patterns set by the operator. In autonomous operation, the AWM reproduces these routes and patterns, which can free up workers’ time to focus on more high-value tasks. The all-electric AWM supports Honda’s global goal of achieving carbon neutrality – net zero emissions – for all products and corporate activities by 2050, the company said in a media release.
“Our development of the prototype zero-turn Honda Autonomous Work Mower comes at a time when technology is shaping the future of the landscaping industry,” Hirokazu Hara, vice president of New Business Development, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., said. “To address labour shortages and help support companies’ sustainability goals, the Honda AWM aims to provide zero-emission alternatives to gasoline-powered mowers that can reduce operating costs and help accelerate the electrification of landscape maintenance equipment,” he added.
How it Works: A “Teaching” mode enables the operator to set up autonomous operation, by manually manoeuvring the ZTR AWM to create a mowing route map using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for accurate location recognition. The AWM learns the operator’s mowing route and patterns in “Teaching” mode. An advantage of the AWM is that it will learn the entire worksite, allowing for high-quality lawn striping, position accuracy and safe operation. The operator can create different mowing route maps customized for multiple job sites, which are then saved to a secure cloud server.
After the “Teaching” mode is complete, the operator launches the AWM’s autonomous operation in “Playback” mode. With the AWM in the starting position, the operator downloads the specified mowing route map using a tablet or smartphone. The AWM then begins autonomous operation and mows according to the map route, providing consistent and stable grass-cutting quality. While the AWM autonomously mows, the operator gains time to maintain other areas of the property which can lead to improved efficiencies.
Equipped with a traction control system, the Honda AWM can maintain straight tracking on hills and rough terrain. Its differential two-motor traction control suppresses tire slip to achieve stable straight-line and turning performance even on slopes and rough roads.
The AWM has several built-in safety features, including omnidirectional sensing as well as radar and LiDAR sensors for obstacle detection. It also can sense terrain variations and stop when encountering obstacles. With vehicle speed-linked blade motor control, the AWM automatically reduces blade rotation at low speeds and low loads to reduce power consumption. At high loads, the AWM automatically reduces its speed to prevent grass clogging and uncut grass.
