A year of life, testing, and cutting with Spider Autonomous 2.0 lawn mower.

The year 2022 was absolutely groundbreaking.

The new development centre in Český Brod.

We managed to create a new technological background for development in the production hall in Český Brod. During the year, the entire development team completely relocated here.

snt. Autonomous mowers were founded.

In the middle of the year, a new joint venture was established as a merger between Dvořák - Svahové sekačky and SMAUT Technology. Years of a joint effort were crowned with the foundation of a new company SNT - SPIDER NEW TECHNOLOGY, dedicated to autonomous mowers production and sale.

The first presentation of the new technology for commercial mowing.

In May 2022, we presented our new GPS guided mower Spider Autonomous 2.0 at the Intersolar trade fair in Munich, Germany, for the first time.

Intersolar Europe is one of the world's largest trade fairs for the solar industry, held annually in Munich, Germany. The fair brings together companies and professionals from all over the world to showcase the latest developments and technologies in the solar energy sector.

The fair covers a wide range of topics, including photovoltaics, energy storage, solar thermal technologies, and more. Exhibitors display their state-of-the-art and services, while attendees can participate in presentations, discussions, and networking events.

Our efforts over many years were rewarded at the fair with great recognition and interest in the new technology from the visitors.

In addition to the snt. Autonomous mowers sales team, our developers also attended the fair. Thanks to the trade fair program and the lively discussions with those interested in Spider Autonomous 2.0, our developer team got new inspiration and suggestions for further possibilities of using the autonomous machine on solar power plants.

We tested the best autonomous mower in practice in cutting large areas.

Over the past season, we have organized several one-day demonstration events at solar power plants throughout Germany. In Austria, we demonstrated the machine in vineyards and also on inaccessible terrains of railway lines and transformer facilities.

We have also successfully tried mowing grass in orchards.

We have prepared these demonstrations just for those interested who encountered our new autonomous machine at the Munich trade fair.

Over 2,800 ha on more than 80 solar power plants.

In 2022, we expanded our team of operators to test Spider Autonomous 2.0 in the field again. By the end of 2021, we have mowed over 5,000 hectares of green areas, with the help of autonomous mowers. In 2022, we mowed with Spider Autonomous 2.0 more than 2,800 hectares on more than eighty different solar power plants. 

We verified in practice how different types of solar panel mounting structures affect the difficulty of mowing. We have started developing a way to provide autonomous cutting underneath the panels for different structure types.

We tested the commercial lawn mower in different conditions.

The summer was hot and dry, and the autumn provided muddy and challenging terrain for the mowers. The Spider Autonomous 2.0 proved itself in all weather and terrain.

Terrain and mowing conditions using Spider Autonomous 2.0 in 2022

Evaluation and comparison with remote-controlled mowers.

The team tested the accuracy, safety, and maximum mowing efficiency in the terrain, and they communicated continuously with the developers in our new development center.

A team of operators keeps a record of the progress and efficiency of mowing from each mowed solar plant. These records allowed us to make comparisons with previous years when the remote-controlled mowers were used.

The evaluation confirmed that, compared to mowing with Spider remote-controlled mowers, the same area can be mowed in a shorter time with fewer workers while keeping the maximum level of use of Spider Autonomous 2.0 mowers.

We used to work with RC machines in the ratio of one machine and one operator. This season confirmed in practice that it is possible for one operator to control two autonomous grass cutting machines anywhere, and in areas he already knows, three autonomous mowers can be controlled by one operator.

The evaluation records of the testing team also show that in the vast majority of cases (73%), the operator did not need to use the RC mode during mowing.

The need to use RC mode during mowing

New goals for development.

Our testing last season also focused on improving the online customer portal, refining the obstacle avoidance to 1 cm, and new possibilities for using autonomous lawn mowers in areas other than PV power plants. 

Spider Autonomous 2.0 in its current configuration is perfectly suited for maximum use in orchards and vineyards.

In order to keep the human work involved in mowing to a minimum, we focused on streamlining the autonomous machine's passes in the rows between the solar panels.

Enormous interest in autonomous solutions at other trade fairs.

In the autumn, we participated in other fairs. For us, the most important from a business point of view was Solar Solution in Düsseldorf at the turn of November and December. Here we once again verified that our product is in great demand among solar power plant owners and maintenance companies. At Equip Exposition Louisville in Kentucky, interest in this type of machine with new technology exceeded our expectations.

The new season 2023 focuses on customer services.

Last season, we worked hard to certify machines and introduce our new autonomous system for commercial mowers to the public. Now we are looking ahead to 2023, where we want to focus on everything related to selling our autonomous machines, i.e., improving customer service, communication, and support.

In 2023, we look forward to meeting you again at the trade fairs and demonstrations we are preparing for you. You can already check out the calendar of all events on our website.

In June, we will be ready to answer your questions again at Intersolar Europe in Munich, where we would like to also invite you.