Right-of-way robots could mow along Minnesota highways

As a lawmaker from Faribault in southern Minnesota, Sen. John Jasinski is familiar with the often-plodding commute to the Capitol in St. Paul — especially when traffic is stalled behind a conga line of giant mowers hemming the highway’s shoulder.

“Couldn’t it be done in a better way, especially with technology being the way it is?” Jasinski, a Republican, asked in a recent interview. While denying he has even a minor case of road rage, he conceded, “it is frustrating.”

So he introduced a bill in January budgeting $150,000 for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to study autonomous mowing along state highways – kind of like giant right-of-way Roombas, if such a thing existed.

And in a legislative session rife with division, this obscure bill has bipartisan support: Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, signed on as a co-author, and it recently won unanimous support of the Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee, which Jasinski co-chairs.

To be sure, lawmakers have far more pressing concerns this year, like crafting a state budget in less than three months, combatting alleged fraud in state government and contemplating sports betting. But Jasinski, who has introduced 48 bills this session, is hopeful this measure will pass muster, especially after a similar version last year “got a great response.”

He said MnDOT’s response to the bill has been “lukewarm,” and acknowledges that unions representing workers currently doing the work fear it could mean the loss of jobs. Representatives from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) did not respond to comment.

Jasinski and others say if mowing can be done on the non-highway side of guardrails, the work will be a lot safer for MnDOT employees, who won’t have to stand in or near traffic.

MnDOT already uses two radio-controlled autonomous mowers on steep inclines along state highways in the Twin Cities and Duluth, according to spokesperson Anne Meyer. These are areas where it’s “too challenging for a human.

“We’re constantly looking at new technology,” she said, noting MnDOT mowing vehicles don’t typically block traffic unless it’s a challenging stretch of road.

Among other projects, MnDOT has used drones for bridge inspections and deployed autonomous vehicles in Rochester, White Bear Lake and Grand Rapids.

A recent study at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies used robots to conduct pavement density testing to ensure longer-lasting roads.

Usually this involves exposing workers to traffic hazards — drivers who are speeding and otherwise distracted — while conducting critical density tests, said Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos, a professor at the U’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

“On a highway, many things can go wrong,” he said, noting “you still need a human in the loop, that’s very important. We can do a lot of stuff, but we shouldn’t forget the fact that a human should be there.”

Kevin Marshia, director of engineering for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said robots and autonomous technology can often help highway workers do their jobs more efficiently and safely.

“You do hear unfortunate stories across the country about highway workers facing an inherent danger, even the tragic loss of life,” he said.

Jasinski’s bill notes that if MnDOT opts to purchase a mower as part of the research, the technology “must be purchased from a Minnesota company.”

Minnesota is home to Toro Co., a $4.5 billion Bloomington company that makes commercial mowers and other outdoor equipment. And officials from BotCrew, a Duluth-based company that has an autonomous robot called Gravion, testified in favor of Jasinski’s bill at a Senate Transportation Committee hearing last month.

BotCrew’s robot has been used to mow or haul cables in solar panel fields, a job that is often too dangerous and too constrained for humans, said Al Johnson, the firm’s president.

He said the company, which has 27 employees, has been fielding inquiries from highway departments across the country about Gravion’s capabilities for roadside mowing.

The 2,000-pound diesel-operated robot can run for 48 consecutive hours before refueling — that’s roughly five trips between Duluth and Minneapolis. There are 18 cameras on the machine for 360-degree viewing. If the robot comes across an obstruction while mowing, it will either stop and notify the operator by sending a picture, or go around it.

“MnDOT would be blazing the trail in increasing mower operator safety,” Johnson said.

While the company is interested in bidding for the job should the bill pass, there’s no assurance it would win the contract.

Of course, being Minnesota, someone at the Senate hearing asked: What about roadside pollinators? Will they be wantonly mowed down by the robot?

Johnson said if there’s a known patch of, say, butterfly-loving milkweed, the robot can go around it. It can be adapted to spread pollinator seed, as well.