See A Terrifying, Homemade Laser-Powered Lawnmower
A YouTuber by the name of Daniel Riley has made a terrifying laser-powered lawnmower.
Sometimes science can get away from us. That’s to say that some people often bring technology and science together to attempt to create something that makes our lives easier but end up making something that is quite terrifying. That is the case for a YouTuber named Daniel Riley, who built a laser-powered lawnmower. This new lawnmower uses a 40-watt CNC cutting laser that is initially used to cut metal but is instead being used to cut grass, for some odd reason. This laser is 8,000 times more powerful than the laser pointers that we have seen in everyday life.
The issue with this new laser-powered lawnmower is that it is quite ineffective if the grass is not close to the laser’s ability to cut. The farther the beam gets from the grass, the less it cuts. So, you would have to be right on top of the grass to ensure that it is cutting as a normal lawnmower would. Also, Riley has stated that the laser beam could potentially blind anyone for life if they happen to catch that laser in their eye. Sure, that is what safety gear is for, but why would anyone want to go and get sophisticated laser goggles to cut their grass? This seems like too many steps for a problem that requires a simple lawnmower.
In the above video, Riley is shown going through many versions of his laser-powered lawnmower, all having different types of success. However, a lot seemed to just cook the grass and have it wilt over without it being traditionally cut. He then took another project, which was a snow-based RC car, and modified it to drive slowly. He then attached the laser to slide and cut the grass at the most optimal point, which is three centimeters. Again, that is not that practical. A normal gas-powered lawnmower only requires to be over the grass and cuts it with speed and ease. This laser-powered lawnmower just seems like a mechanical nightmare at this point.
Even when Riley gets his laser-powered lawnmower going, most of the grass that gets “cut” is mostly done by the lawnmower riding over it and smashing it. Considering that this robot moves quite slowly as well, this machine does not seem practical by any means. It would take a long time to cut a small-sized yard, which could be done fast if a normal lawn mower was used. We understand wanting to use technology for the betterment of humanity, but this is just not the kind of advancement that anyone would want to buy into.
We commend Riley for putting together this laser-powered lawnmower, especially because he used a lot of 3D-printed parts to do so. The vacuum on the mower was impractical, as was the distance that the robot could travel. The laser seemed to fry the grass and not necessarily cut it in the manner that a normal lawnmower would. While we think lawn care could be altered in the future to make it easier, we don’t think using lasers is the way to go.
