Mowing jobs wirelessly

Flexible mowing with three times higher efficiency

Yamabiko Europe introduces the Wisenav system for all Belrobotics brand GPS-RTK robotic mowers. With Wisenav, the mowers can mow in lanes both with and without wire with a three times higher efficiency up to six acres. The user can adjust work zones very flexibly.

Last year, Yamabiko introduced GPS RTK technology for robotic mowers: mowing in lanes based on satellite data. "By mowing in lanes, the machine can mow three times more area than mowers that crisscross around. It also gives a nicer image," says sales & marketing director Diederick Geerinckx. The technology is very suitable for sports fields. Indeed, because it involves large areas, this way of mowing provides enormous time savings. "When GPS-RTK was introduced, however, it was still a requirement to use a wire, which prevents the robot from going outside the working area. Our engineers therefore developed Wisenav: a system that allows users to create a virtual boundary around the site." Wisenav stands for Wireless Satellite Exact Navigation.

Easy installation

That virtual boundary is created by using a cell phone with Belrobotics' app to walk around the site from the charging station. At the touch of a button, the user can indicate boundary points, as many as needed. For a soccer field, for example, four bounding points are sufficient; for a golf course with an erratic shape, many more are needed. For places where satellite reception is less good, a wire can still be used. For example, if there are many trees. 

In doing so, the end user can use the app to set zones where mowing is and is not required. The desired mowing direction and mowing times are also adjustable per zone. When the battery is empty, the robotic mower returns to its charging station. Once charged, it returns to the starting point of the last unfinished strip. 

Three to five centimeters accuracy

The system is available for all GPS-RTK models. There will be a software update for users who have already purchased a Belrobotics robotic mower. Using RTK (Real Time Kinematic), the Belrobotics robot can mow continuously with three to five centimeters accuracy. The robot communicates with the base station, which has a fixed position.

Robotic mowers are in high demand. Geerinckx: "Sales of robotic mowers at Yamabiko Europe have increased by more than twenty percent per year in recent years. Meanwhile, GPS-RTK models already account for more than half of our sales. This trend will only continue with these new developments." 

Yamabiko works with specialized dealers, who are also trained by the company. They handle the installation and maintenance of the robotic mowers. The end user determines the daily operations. For example, are there obstacles on the property, are there works taking place or is the property being rearranged? Then the user himself can set no-go zones.  

"The Netherlands is a good market for us. Especially since there is a lot of demand from municipalities for mowing robots on sports fields to green the machinery. In addition, it is harder to find people and robots help to make the work of green services more flexible. Finally, the mowers are more economical in purchase and energy consumption than conventional mowers."