Miami Redblade III: A GPS-aided Autonomous Lawnmower

Abstract

This paper describes the technical aspects of the Redblade III, Miami University's third generation autonomous lawnmower. The Redblade III was created for entrance in the Institute of Navigation's 4th Annual Autonomous Lawnmower Competition by a team of undergraduate students majoring in electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering at Miami University. This paper details the five major subsystems of the lawnmower, including (1) the sensing system, (2) the control system, (3) the mechanical chassis system, (4) the safety system, and (5) the base monitoring and testing system. The paper discusses each aforementioned system in detail, along with providing cost analysis and conclusions.