The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
City looks at robotic lawn mowner
Officials are also considering other technology.
Timothy Colbert was mowing the slopes of an Atlanta water reservoir on a recent May morning, but it was considerably less work than the city’s public works field supervisor is used to.
That’s because instead of manually steering the lawn mower, Colbert controlled it from afar, with a remote control.
“It’s like playing a video game,” he said. “It’s just ideal for me. … I want to know if it has an automatic mode.”
The city recently tested the robotic lawn mower (think yard Roomba) and is considering the purchase of three, at about $60,000 each. The mowers are just one of several technology-based tools that city officials think could help Atlanta deliver better service for less money.
Public Works Commissioner Al Wiggins Jr. said his department is in recovery mode, as it assesses its solid waste fees to make critical decisions about staffing and equipment needs. The city just entered into a $19 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit challenging the fees.
At the same time, the department is seeking ways to increase productivity and cut costs by possibly using autonomous mowers, mobile cameras and vehicle routing software — technology that will help turn Atlanta into a “smart city,” he said.
“We want to provide timely and reliable services,” Wiggins said. “And we think technology is the best way for us to provide that level of consistency.”
RC Mowers Regional Sales Manager Sean Wirtz demonstrated his mowers for city employees at the Atlanta Water Lodge in Fulton County. He said the mowers keep workers away from road medians and steep inclines, among other hazardous areas.
Wiggins said the mowers could help Atlanta control vegetation at major thorough- fares twice a month, which otherwise would require four people for each job. The driv- erless mower only needs one operator, which would free up employees and resources for other work.
A single automated mower costs between $57,950 and $62,950 depending on the model, according to a public works spokeswoman. Wiggins said the city would initially pilot three mowers to gauge their effectiveness.
In the meantime, Wiggins said illegal dumping has stopped in three areas of the city where cameras attached to small trailers were installed. Public works typically records littering with utility pole cameras, but Wiggins said installing them is time consuming.
The mobile cameras can record and use flashing blue lights and audible messages to warn off litterers, Wiggins said. Additionally, it offers real-time footage of violations through the Atlanta Police Department’s network.
The cameras cost $2,695.50 per month. Wiggins said Atlanta is currently using them on a 30-day free trial.
One of the cameras is in City Councilman Jason Winston’s district. He called it an amazing deterrent to dumping. “I’d love to figure out how to work with the Department of Public Works to be able to expand this program,” Winston said.
Wiggins said he also wants to get routing software to obtain real-time data about the department’s vehicles in the field.
Atlanta has vehicles for recycling, solid waste and yard collection, as well as automated trucks that empty trash bins with a mechanical arm. But Wiggins said dense street parking hinders their ability to use certain vehicles in parts of the city.
Wiggins said the software would help public works know where to deploy certain vehicles. It would direct drivers who are unfamiliar with particular routes. And it would alert to broken-down vehicles so the department could deploy a substitute.
The upfront cost of the software is $700,000, with an overall three-year investment of nearly $1.2 million, according to public works. Wiggins told council members he hopes to have authorization for purchase of the software next month.