NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — A new lawn mower is allowing Nassau County to take a hands-off approach to keeping its sports fields in shape, and officials say the high-tech machine is saving more than just time.
The county’s newest helping hand is an autonomous lawn mower from Firefly Robotics that has already mowed 100 acres and counting. There’s no driver and the cut is almost silent. With a tap on a tablet, the mower achieves a precise cut within a matter of minutes.
“[It] runs and cuts the fields in various different ways, depending on when we need it,” said Levi Welling with Nassau County Parks and Recreation. “[We] use it two to three times a week.”
The Nassau County Commission approved the purchase of the mower, which cost more than $180,000, back in May. It has been in use at the fields and amphitheater at Westside Regional Park. County parks and public works leaders say the robotic mower can do the work in a fraction of the time it takes traditional crews.
“It is saving probably a whole day, maybe five to six hours a day,” Welling said. “It would take us a whole [day] to mow those otherwise, but now it’s just three hours.”
“We can save about 600 man hours a year by doing this,” said Doug Podiak, Nassau County’s director of public works.
Officials say park technicians aren’t being replaced. Instead, they’re being given a new tool, freeing them up to do more skilled work in other areas.
“And if there’s an issue, he’s notified on the iPad, the machine will stop, he can correct it, and they can keep on going then,” Podiak said.
The machine’s lifespan is around 20 years. County officials say the mower is saving taxpayer dollars, as it could pay for itself within 10 years. The mower also provides safety features.
“It’s got an infrared camera on the front of it that, if there’s any obstructions, it’ll stop or slow down,” Welling said.
For now, the autonomous lawn mower will only be used at Nassau County’s Westside Regional Park.
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