Robotic Following Cart to Replace Light Duty Tractor Tasks?

[Guidshir]

I think the idea of the Burro is great, but as with anything the software will be the determining factor. It would need a geo-fence, sensors such as light, direction, include) a self-cutoff for various reasons (tip over, stuck, out of fence area, etc), and LTE connection that can remote cutoff, report it's location remotely and send images from its camera.

Basically it needs to be a mars rover. The sensors would be required in order to trust it alone.

If there was a self-propelled bushhog that could do fields for a fair price there would be plenty of buyers. Most other tasks (excavating, backhoe work, ditch digging) require too much human thought and planning for a dumb robot to do. With the right front implement and a topo map of the ground a robot might be able to clear an area of brush/debris by pushing it to one side.

 

[daugen]

Basically it needs to be a mars rover. The sensors would be required in order to trust it alone.

Yes, which makes it untenable to a low volume producer unless one has seriously deep pockets because the costs
keep mounting with complexity. And there is something about having a mechanical helper that isn't overly complicated that
seems more attractive to me vs maintaining a piece of machinery with lunar rover sophistication.

it's all about the legal climate, try selling this in NJ or NY and not get your pants sued off if it tips over on little Johnny.
They will absolutely sue like mad and the underwriters know it.
Which is why "risks" like this go into the secondary market, and you get charged huge premiums.
Just trying to avoid that, want this to work.
I think we all want this to work or we wouldn't be here.

Lot of IED's on the road for new product designers.
Mostly you just can't hurt people with your products.
You can underperform but you can't hurt people.
Just look at the auto industry to find out who much that can cost.
And the legal industry that whole product liability arena supports.

 

[MossRoad]

Others have done it. I'm a retired insurance company underwriter. I would imagine the product liability
insurance for manufacturing unattended mowing equipment might be a major impediment to you.
What you make for your farm is your business. What you sell to others for a profit is like apples and oranges.
Don't make something you can't get insured, that's all. Might be a speedbump, might be a mountain.
If I were underwriting your little venture, I would sure want to see safe operation out in the field for several years before
I felt comfortable insuring machinery that statistically kills more than a few people each year.

Insurance companies love proven designs, they can track claim history.
New designs are a challenge. And while everyone knows this kind of technology is our future,
insurance companies always look to past history, not future possibilities. Without statistics and actuaries signing off,
pretty hard to get insured. It's just the way it works.

YIKES! Reality stinks. :laughing:

 

[edgarrian]

This could be advantageous where a landscaping company works for a customer with an already very nice house (up scale). Theory would be that people who would want to add on to already existing landscapes and do not want there yard tore up by a skid loader or tractor. The foot print on this would be very small and less damage to the lawn at the upscale house. I can remember working for a landscaping company where we would often use a wheel barrow b/c the customer did not want there yard torn up. Generally we would be bringing in extra dirt, or mulch even rocks. This could be a route you might investigate. With that said you would need to make ur cart not so top heavy when hauling heavier loads as I have described. Moving dirt by that of a wheel barrow is time consuming. You have to be careful when filling the wheel barrow so that you don't tip it over. Then pushing it to the area you are working. This requires lots of a trips and is back breaking work. This cart if built to suit those needs would be a good idea I think.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Youtube just suggested this video for me:
Equipter RB4 Roofing Trailer - YouTube

It's described as a "self-driving" mini dumpster which made me click, but it's actually self-propelled, an operator has to drive it. If it were in fact self-driving (or even drivable via remote control from the roof) it would take it to a whole new level.

According to their website MSRP is around $32,000.

 

[4570Man]

That thing has stabilizers on it. You can’t just drive it along the roofline. It would require pulling down to the towing position to move.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

That thing has stabilizers on it. You can’t just drive it along the roofline. It would require pulling down to the towing position to move.

I think you have to lower the lift all the way and pull up the stabilizers to move it. What would be cool is if you could do that without leaving the roof, by remote control. Otherwise you're up and down the ladder every few feet as you strip the roof.

 

[aczlan]

I think you have to lower the lift all the way and pull up the stabilizers to move it. What would be cool is if you could do that without leaving the roof, by remote control. Otherwise you're up and down the ladder every few feet as you strip the roof.

The guys who did our roof had one. The box was 8 feet wide and it had two 4 foot wide doors on the top which swing out like "wings" when they are open, as such, they could tear off 14 feet at the eaves, or more if they flipped the roofing over toward the trailer as they pried it off.

Aaron Z

 

[candersen10]

1/4 ton capacity Burro. We're charging $10K plus $500 for shipping anywhere in US48 and $500/year subscription for software updates and unlimited modem.

Looking more the part?

 

[MossRoad]

In all seriousness, as I mentioned before, someone is going to try and ride that thing and get their leg caught between those tires. I wish you luck. However, I'd bet there's a lot of folks thinking, "I can get a guy on a $20K tractor that'll do 10X the work or more." It's all about productivity. Hope it works out for you.