Four-wheel drive for rough ground.
Four-wheel drive for rough ground.
Special Four driven wheels climb roots, molehills and bumps a caster would catch on.
Weakness Turning on the spot scrubs all four tyres: more power, more turf wear.
Gen 2 · Brawler · Concept. Simulated.
An 82 × 74 cm skid-steer robot on four hoverboard hub motors, with a 46 cm blade between the axles. Four driven wheels climb roots and molehills a caster would hang up on. Skid-steer turns by scrubbing its tyres sideways, so it uses more power in turns and its wheel odometry is worse: GNSS and the IMU matter more.
Vector is a concept: simulated, not built. Parts and prices are estimates, in US dollars (Nov 2026). Drawings are generated from the profile the simulator uses.
| Body (L × W × H) | 82 × 74 × 42 cm |
|---|---|
| Mass | ≈ 32 kg |
| Drive | 4-wheel skid-steer, 26 cm wheels, up to 0.6 m/s |
| Blades | 46 cm → 46 cm cut |
| Battery | 10S 10 Ah ≈ 360 Wh |
| Stripe spacing | 41.4 cm (10% overlap) |
| Edge lap | 42 cm from the edge; uncut band ≈ 19 cm for the trimmer |
| Turning in place sweeps | a 112 cm circle |
| 3D lidar blind zone | 75 cm ahead of the nose |
| Margin at raised beds | 75 cm |
| Best for | Bumpy or uneven lawns up to ~1,200 m². |
| Slopes | up to ≈ 20° |
| Part | What it does | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium extrusion frame + panels | Chassis and blade guard | ≈ $150 | estimate |
| 4 × hoverboard hub motors (two used hoverboards) | Drive | ≈ $100–160 | estimate |
| 2 × dual-channel BLDC controllers (CAN) | Drive | ≈ $200–300 | estimate |
| BLDC blade motor + VESC-class controller with braking | Cutting | ≈ $150 | estimate |
| 10S Li-ion pack with BMS (~360 Wh) | Power | ≈ $250 | estimate |
| Raspberry Pi 5 8 GB + SSD + cooler | The brain | ≈ $215–245 | Raspberry Pi list price |
| simpleRTK2B GNSS + antenna | Centimetre positioning | ≈ $235 | ArduSimple |
| BNO085 IMU | Heading and tilt | $30 | Adafruit |
| Livox Mid-360 3D lidar | Seeing obstacles | $979 | list price |
| Pico 2 + safety parts | The hardware blade interlock | ≈ $100 | estimate |
| Total | ≈ $2,409–2,599 | ||
mowlark