PROJECT CONTEXT
STIHL, the landscape maintenance world leader, has to test its autonomous lawnmower iMOW in a large number of possible cases. Its customers expect it to mow their lawns no matter what.
This test bench is evolutive so that it can be adapted to the future features of the robot.
CUSTOMER REQUEST
STIHL wants a comprehensive test bench to simulate virtual gardens in its factory.
Thus, the tests are no longer subject to weather conditions that are not necessarily favorable (rain, snow), the R&D teams and equipment are available nearby and the tests are reproducible, which was not the case when outdoor tests were made.
THE SOLUTION
The MISTRAL hexapod with its extra continuous rotation integrated into the hexapod upper platform enables to simulate garden slopes. In addition, STIHL mounted pneumatic actuators onto the mobile platform in order to generate impacts against a tree trunk, for example.
The robotic iMOW lawnmower installed on the hexapod experiments the scenario indicated to its digital twin. To close the loop, Symetrie has provided the External Real-Time Trajectory software option. It allows the hexapod trajectory to be modified in real-time, with a control frequency of 200 Hz.
PROJECT SPECIFICITIES
■ Continuous 360° rotation integrated into the hexapod mobile platform
■ Rotation axis speed: 144°/s
■ External Real-Time Trajectory option
