Honda introduces a fully autonomous vehicle—with a catch

The news: Honda has introduced a fully autonomous new electric vehicle.

The more detailed news: The vehicle is a zero-turn lawn mower.

Earlier this year, Honda successfully field-tested a proof-of-concept version of the Autonomous Work Mower (AWM) with a top U.S. commercial landscape company. To further advance the prototype AWM’s development, in 2024, Honda will begin a pilot program and is seeking companies to participate in assessing the AWM’s applicability to their work environments. Interested companies can contact Honda at autonomous_mower@na.honda.com.

The prototype Honda AWM combines “industry leading cutting performance and operator comfort with high location accuracy and obstacle detection,” Honda says. It is designed to help improve the efficiency of lawn care and landscape maintenance companies while offering an eco-conscious solution with zero-emissions. Capable of operating in manual or autonomous mode, when manually operated, the Honda AWM learns the mowing routes and patterns set by the operator. In autonomous operation, the AWM reproduces these routes and patterns, which can free up workers’ time to focus on more high-value tasks. The all-electric AWM supports Honda’s global goal of achieving carbon neutrality—net zero emissions—for all products and corporate activities by 2050.

The mower has a “Teaching” mode enables the operator to set up autonomous operation by manually maneuvering the AWM to create a mowing route map using Global Navigation Satellite System for accurate location recognition. The AWM learns the operator’s mowing route and patterns in “Teaching” mode.

An advantage of the AWM is that it will learn the entire worksite, allowing for high-quality lawn striping, position accuracy and safe operation. The operator can create different mowing route maps customized for multiple job sites, which are then saved to a secure cloud server. Equipped with a unique traction control system, the Honda AWM is capable of maintaining straight tracking on hills and rough terrains. Its differential two-motor traction control suppresses tire slip to achieve stable straight-line and turning performance even on slopes and rough terrain.

Though for now this seems like a technology targeting large-scale commercial applications, the thought of driverless mowers autonomously clipping Bermuda grass on the front lawns of suburban America is downright eerie. Honda could at least consider bringing back Asimo to drive the thing.

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