Robotic lawn mower?

• Author: Kaelble, Steve
• Position: AROUND INDIANA

ENTREPRENEUR SCOTT Jones was on his way toward joining the military-industrial complex, trying to create a robotic vehicle for the Pentagon. When that didn't work out, he took what he learned and began applying it to the creation of a robotic lawn mower.

Jones--the Hoosier technology maven behind voice mail, home-entertainment supplier Escient and the new ChaCha.com Internet search engine--two years ago channeled a lot of energy and money into the creation of an autonomous, driverless, artificially intelligent vehicle. He souped up a Jeep Rubicon with computers, controllers and sensors, hoping to score well in the 2005 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Grand Challenge, a robotic race through a tricky, 132-mile desert course. Only five teams completed the race--Jones' entry had a mishap with a concrete wall on a testing run before qualifications and never fully recovered.

No matter, though. Even before leaving for the 2005 competition in California, Jones declared that no matter how the race turned out, it would spark an Indiana company making use of the team's labors, and his IndyRobotics LLC did indeed continue steering down the path toward commercialized robotic navigation.

Last month, that venture gave birth to Precise Path Robotics, which is developing a line of self-guided mobile robots for professional and consumer "outdoor turf applications"--in other words, mowing the lawn.

Precise Path Robotics envisions a variety of robots that could take care of the turf at golf courses, ballparks and eventually homes. These are to be "autonomous robots," which means that they will function without human interaction, reacting to their environment through sensor information and guiding themselves as they move around and perform their task.

That's just what Jones' Jeep was doing two years ago on a makeshift course outside his Carmel mansion. Humans, of course, told it basically where it was supposed to go, but the robotic vehicle then took off on its own, using its sensors to detect obstacles and its computers to steer, accelerate and brake appropriately. Why not add a mower deck and tell it to head out and take care of the lawn?

The advantages are obvious. Golf courses and sports Stadiums spend a small fortune paying live humans to tend the fairways and fields. Labor costs invariably increase, and the quality of the work is subject to human error. Put a robotic mower in charge and you'll end up with perfect turf every time, increased...