The City of Calgary began testing-out an electric commercial-sized autonomous mower for the first time. The small-scale pilot, which began in mid-May, involves one 160-pound mower at a single location for 30 days.

“Seeking more efficient ways to care for our park spaces is something we are always focused on,” said spokesperson Kyle Ripley. “Part of this is trying out innovative ideas, like autonomous mowers, to see if we can identify an opportunity to improve our operations.”

The autonomous mower may operate like the vacuum robot in a house — with a charging station and pre-planned schedule — but it is a lot bigger and mows in straight lines instead of randomly. It’s about the size of a wooden packing pallet and is built to keep grass at a more consistent height through regular trimming. The mower’s micro-mulching feature is expected to result in healthier grass over time, make it lusher and potentially require less water to keep the turf green.

City staff have been monitoring the mower’s status using a software application that also enables them to adjust the mowing schedule. With the pilot wrapping up, the city plans on reviewing the results to determine if autonomous mowers are a good fit for maintaining select park spaces.