Directed Machines’ Solar Power Assisted Land Care Robot

Here’s an interesting small tractor of sorts for rural properties and small farms – a solar-assisted agricultural robot from the USA’s Directed Machines.

Directed Machines is a Seattle, Washington-based “small, hands-on-and-in-the-mud team” who have been developing the Land Care Robot for around 5 years.

What it may miss out on in terms of looks, the robot makes up for in functionality. Offered with a bunch of optional attachments, it can perform tasks including towing, mowing, brush-cutting, grading, light ploughing, spraying and more. It can carry out activities under direct control or autonomously. The robot is able to work day and night, and in the rain. It even has a “follow me” mode.

Land Care Robot Specifications:

• 45kW / 60HP Peak Power Electric Drive + ePTO (Electric Power Takeoff)
• 2,700kg towing capacity
• Energy storage: 10kWh lithium-ion battery system, but it seems 15kWh and 20kWh options are available. Just for comparison, a Tesla Powerwall home battery has 13kWh usable storage capacity. It appears there may also be a lead acid AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) energy storage option as well.
• 400W bifacial solar panel
• AC inverter available for powering tools
• Weight: 635kg
• Dimensions: 127cm x 203cm
• Dual colour + depth cameras
• Accelerometer, magnetic compass, GPS
• 4G/3G/2G Modem for self-updating, telemetry publishing and downloading maps
• WiFi enabling direct control from a smartphone or desktop computer.

The use of bifacial solar panels is curious. Bifacial panels are modules that collect reflected light hitting the rear of the panel as well as sunlight from the face of the module. I wouldn’t have thought there would be much reflected light to harvest given the setup. That wire and thingamabob on the panel face in the pic above doesn’t seem like a good idea either, as it would cast shadow affecting the panel’s effectiveness.

As some indication of how useful the solar panel is, the robot will take 2 hours to recharge from the grid or within 3 days from the sun – and that’s during the more favourable months for solar energy harvesting. In terms of how much work it can do on a single charge, according to Directed Machines the robot can mow up to 3 acres (around 1.2 hectares); and more using the electrified deck.

As for the cost of this beast, the base unit is currently USD $16,800  – which is around AUD $23,400 – before shipping. Additionally, there’s remote access and fleet management fees after the first year, starting at USD $25/month.

Here’s the Land Care Robot in action:

You can learn more about the Land Care Robot here.  As far as I know it’s not available in Australia, but it’s always interesting to see what solar-related gadgets are being created and used elsewhere. On a related note, last year we wrote about an Australian designed and produced solar powered agricultural robot called The Digital Farmhand.

Commercial solar power is already doing great things for farmers across Australia in lightening their carbon footprint and energy costs, and new solar tech will increasingly make inroads into other aspects of their operations.