Since the trimmer and edger aren’t going to use the side ports of the mower module, there was a call put out for what those side ports could be used for.
One thing I thought of (half suggested as a joke, but it’s actually not a bad idea) would be something that would pick up dog poop when detected in the yard, to prevent it from getting stuck to the blades, stinking up the machine, or embedded in the tracks.
Obviously this would require the vision system to be better, but I could imagine the machine detecting said poop, then approaching it, rotating sideways, and a scoop descending from the side port, scooping up the poop (claw machine style) or vacuuming up the poop (less likely to damage the lawn), and moving it to a collection bag inside the side module. Then rotating back and continuing to mow.
The bag would have to be attached in such a way it could be twisted/tied off as smell free as possible. Maybe even supporting an ‘infinite bag’, similar to Dekor diaper pails, where each end is a knot, but the ‘bag’ is just a large tube of plastic, that gets tied off and cut as needed.
This would be an awesome attachment and something NO other mower has - they all just run right over the poop and get it everywhere, stinking up the machine.
Heh, folks request a pooper scooper WAY more often than you’d think – was even in today’s livestream with co-founder Ken.
So, yeah, they’ve heard that one loud and clear.
I started to envision one reading your description. Could probably fit a rake out front of the mower head that scoops everything and now and then lifts up to dump into a bucket on the mower’s top. It’d be stupid looking with several problems I can think of off the bat, but if clever folks can get the specs of the connectors on the side of the mower head, Makers out there could do this easily.
Thank you for your suggestion! While we agree that the pooper scooper idea is quite creative, it may pose a significant challenge for the vision system, and unfortunately, we don’t have spare development resources in the short term to pursue it. However, we truly appreciate your brilliant idea, as it has provided us with some extra inspiration for potential uses of the side port. Thanks again for sharing!
Zactly what I was thinking by having a rake on the front with long tines. It would stab forward sifting the grass and pick up everything. If on the mower head, it could grab stuff that’s not good for the mower to hit, like pine cones. It might have to be its own module you’d run before you run the mower.
Obviously there are problems with such a design and it’s incomplete, but folks want a pooper scooper, so you can’t use a lawn sweeper type mechanism with brushes. Yucky.
