Summary of RC LAWN MOWER KEEPS THE GRASS GREENER ON YOUR SIDE OF THE FENCE
This article describes an upgraded remote-controlled lawn mower built by [elliotmade] to help a friend in a wheelchair maintain their yard independently. The project repurposes an electric wheelchair's drive section, adding a custom frame, battery, alternator, and Arduino-controlled RC system. Safety features include relays for ignition and starter control, plus a camera for remote operation without depth perception issues.
Parts used in the Remote-Controlled Lawn Mower:
- Electric wheelchair drive section
- Custom welded frame
- Battery
- Mower engine with alternator
- RC receiver
- Motor driver
- Arduino controller
- Relays (for ignition and electric starter)
- Camera
For some people, mowing the lawn is a dreaded chore that leads to thoughts of pouring a concrete slab over the yard and painting it green. Others see it as the perfect occasion to spend a sunny afternoon outside. And then there are those without the luxury of having a preference on the subject in the first place. [elliotmade] for example has a friend who’s sitting in a wheelchair, and would normally have to rely on others to maintain his lawn and form an opinion on the enjoyability of the task. So to retain his friend’s independence, he decided to build him a remote-controlled lawn mower.
After putting together an initial proof of concept that’s been successfully in use for a few years now, [elliotmade] saw some room for improvement and thought it was time for an upgrade. Liberating the drive section of an electric wheelchair, he welded a frame around it to house the battery and the mower itself, and added an alternator to charge the battery directly from the mower’s engine. An RC receiver that connects to the motor driver is controlled by an Arduino, as well as a pair of relays to switch both the ignition and an electric starter that eliminates the need for cord pulling. Topping it off with a camera, the garden chores are now comfortably tackled from a distance, without any issues of depth perception.
Remote-controlling a sharp-bladed machine most certainly requires a few additional safety considerations, and it seems that [elliotmade] thought this out pretty well, so failure on any of the involved parts won’t have fatal consequences. However, judging from the demo video embedded after break, the garden in question might not be the best environment to turn this into a GPS-assisted, autonomous mower in the future. But then again, RC vehicles are fun as they are, regardless of their shape or size.
Source: RC LAWN MOWER KEEPS THE GRASS GREENER ON YOUR SIDE OF THE FENCE
- Why did [elliotmade] build this machine?
To allow a friend who uses a wheelchair to maintain their lawn independently. - How is the power system configured?
An alternator charges the battery directly from the mower's engine. - What controls the motor and switches?
An Arduino controls an RC receiver connected to the motor driver and relays. - How does the mower start?
An electric starter eliminates the need for cord pulling. - How does the operator see the surroundings?
A camera allows the user to tackle chores from a distance without depth perception issues. - Are there safety considerations for this build?
Yes, failure on any involved parts is designed not to have fatal consequences. - Can this be converted to a GPS-assisted autonomous mower?
The garden environment might not be ideal for turning it into a GPS-assisted autonomous mower.
