Directed Machines

Directed Machines is a robotics company based in Seattle, United States. It makes the Land Care Robot, a 100 percent electric, autonomous machine for land care work. The company says its robots serve golf courses, farms, ranches, solar farms and nurseries. The site describes the robot as heavy-duty and able to run under operator control or in autonomous mode.

Robot capabilities

• Mowing and towing: a single robot can mow, tow and handle other tasks by switching implements and sensors.
• Hauling: the site says the robot can haul 10,000 pounds or more.
• Detection: sensors that detect failures and risks, such as irrigation problems or plant health issues.
• Operation: work day or night in almost any weather, with no fumes and typically about 55 dB of noise.

Where it works

The site lists uses that include towing panels and piles for engineering contractors, managing vegetation along roadsides for transport agencies, and moving heavy carts of potted plants in nurseries. It says the robots emit no fossil fuels or greenhouse gases, and that sites which switched from chemicals have seen biodiversity return. The site also says the robots work in almost any weather, so tasks can continue day or night.

Sizing and use cases

The company puts its robots at as much as half the cost of rival machines in the same class, and says automation can cut operating costs. Before proposing a system, it reviews each site's acreage, climate and terrain, along with the services the customer needs, then works out how many robots are required and how to configure them. Further uses listed include harvest and liquid application towing, runway vegetation management and theft prevention.

Key facts

• Based in: Seattle, United States
• Products: Land Care Robot
• Markets: solar farms, agriculture, golf courses, nurseries and roadside vegetation management