Abstract
This concept paper outlines a conceptual framework for the design and development of user-integrated semi-autonomous lawn mowing systems. This is approached from a systems engineering perspective, considering both hardware and software elements and integration with the user. This is an important and emerging field of study within the several engineering communities, including robotics, agricultural engineering, smart city development, and general systems engineering. In several sections of this paper, a review of current progress on this problem is presented (both in general and related to specific aspects of the system), followed by a discussion of the problem from a systems engineering perspective, a general system architecture developed by the authors, a preliminary set of design requirements, and a discussion of some practical implementation strategies. This work is meant to provide a baseline and motivation for the further development and refinement of these systems within the agricultural engineering and robotics communities and is relevant to both academic and commercial research.
Highlights
The predicted obstacles are already known to the system before mowing commences, as they were located by the mapping system or marked by the user. These will consist of predictable non-interfering obstacles (PNIOs), which are things such as rocks, ponds, yard ornaments, and other things that are not tall enough or dense enough to interfere with the navigation and localization of the system
A more extensive and detailed suggested list of requirements for this kind of system can be found in the technical report “User-Integrated Semi-Autonomous Lawn Mowing Systems: Example Basic, Functional, Non-Functional, and Safety and Security Requirements” by the authors of this concept paper [36]
To the modeling and documentation, rigorous prototyping and simulation of the system can help to increase design quality and decrease the risks associated with a user-integrated robotic system, especially one that will be used in a residential setting and potentially interact regularly with humans
Summary
Lawn mowing is one of the most essential tasks required for most home owners, requiring a significant investment of time and resources to accomplish properly. In addition to the significant investment in equipment and time for the users, it is typically considered to be an unpleasant task to complete and one that users would like to avoid when possible In recent years, this has given rise to attempts to make lawn mowers more robotic and more autonomous, resembling the now-widespread Roomba vacuum cleaners [2,3,4]. The most simple definitions of these are that automated systems follow a programmed set of operations and do not have any autonomous operation; tele-operated systems are similar, except that a human is directly controlling the system and can react to unexpected events These definitions are given in order to ensure that the approach and architecture presents in this paper can be clearly understood and contextualized
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