RC Mowers believes using a weed-­whacker or ride-on mower to maintain slopes and rough or hazardous terrain is not safe nor efficient.

Founders of the company saw a gap in the industry in which people were attempting to use those methods. RC Mowers said that puts people in danger and wastes limited resources.

To fill the gap, the company said its unmanned, remote-operated slope mowers offer a safer method of maintaining steep slopes and extreme landscapes.

They are the TK-52XP and 60XP, with 52- or 60-inch cutting widths.

The product can save resources and time for government agencies, and the company provided an example of a landscape area that an entity would typically mow by hand. That project could take four to five employees several hours or even days to finish, but the robotic TK mower could finish the same project in a couple hours or less.

Dam and levee embankments, retention or water treatment ponds, and public parks are additional examples of areas the mowers could handle.

Safety: No Human Injury Risk

RC Mowers Sales Operations Manager Jessica Korthals said efficiency is one benefit of the mowers that would be an advantage to government agencies. She also said safety is a top benefit, noting that operators at times attempt to mow in areas such as water treatment plants with banks that are typically 40- to 50-degree slopes. Those areas are dangerous for manned operation.

“What can happen is they tip a machine over and either get injured or trapped or [there are] potential drownings,” she said. “Instead, we take our unmanned machine, specifically designed for this work, and there’s no risk of human injury. Somebody can stand in a safe place, operate the equipment, and get the work done safely and efficiently.”