This Tech Startup Says Its Autonomous Mower Is the Eco-Friendly Answer To The Labor Shortage In The Landscaping Industry
El Segundo, CA
|
March 15, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Interested in investing in Graze Mowing? Click here to get started!
Graze Mowing, a tech startup aiming to disrupt the commercial landscaping industry, launched a crowdfunding campaign with the goal of raising $7.5 million to help the company scale production of its autonomous AI lawn mower. The patent-pending technology uses machine learning, GPS navigation, computer vision and advanced safety features to create a lawn mower that can professionally mow three acres per hour without the need for a human operator.
Targeting the $176 billion commercial landscaping industry, the autonomous mower is made to help landscaping crews working on golf courses, parks, airports, and other large-scale projects automate one of the most time-consuming and costly parts of the job: lawn mowing.
Mowing Is One Of The Biggest Pain Points For Professional Landscapers
Mowing is one of the biggest factors eating into profit margins for professional landscaping companies. Add to that the widespread labor shortages, the high turnover rate in the landscaping industry, and the growing pressure from legislators to switch to equipment that doesn’t use fossil fuels, and razor-thin margins can end up disappearing entirely.
Graze’s unique technology is meant to address all of those problems by making commercial landscaping both eco-friendly and more profitable. The fully electric mower features a rechargeable battery and a 60-inch tri-blade mow deck that can adapt to different terrains and grass types while offering precision mowing based on a pre-set mow height and cut pattern.
By automating mowing, landscaping crews can focus their effort on higher-value landscaping work, getting jobs done faster without sacrificing quality. According to Mainscape, a landscaping partner of Graze, the autonomous mower has the potential to increase profit margins from just 10% to 43% by helping the company reduce labor costs.
How The Graze Mower Aims To Bring Better, Safer, More Professional Automation To Robotic Mower Market
The emerging robotic mower market has seen a few interesting entries, but most products are meant for smaller, residential products or require users to put up physical barriers to set the perimeter of the job site for the machine.
With Graze, users set the perimeter using virtual mapping software, with no physical barriers required. Then, they set the mow height and cut pattern and let the machine get to work. Graze plans and executes its own mowing paths based on those settings.
Once set, landscapers can use the same job site map and mow settings over and over again. While mowing, Graze uses smart sensors, computer vision, and other safety features to detect and avoid any obstacles ranging from debris to sidewalks to animals. Meanwhile, it uses machine learning to collect and apply data so that it can optimize for better precision and efficiency the next time it’s mowing that job site.
With over $14.7 million raised so far from 9,300 investors and nearly $31 million in potential revenue from pre-orders according to Graze, the tech startup has already gained impressive traction among both investors and industry leaders in commercial landscaping. Learn more about the autonomous mower and the crowdfunding campaign here.
This article originally appeared on Benzinga here.
Graze is a fully autonomous and electric commercial lawnmower.
Contact Details
John Vlay
