Most robotic mowers on the market are surprisingly dumb: they drive in a random direction until they hit the lawn border, turn a random amount, and repeat. Open Mower exists because we can do better.
The project started by taking apart the cheapest robot mower we could find — a YardForce Classic 500 — and replacing its brain with custom hardware and open-source software. The result is a mower that knows exactly where it is, plans efficient paths, and mows your lawn properly instead of bouncing around at random.
What makes it different
- RTK GPS precision — centimetre-level positioning, so the robot follows planned paths instead of wandering.
- No perimeter wire — define mowing areas in software; support for multiple zones.
- Map-aware & app-controlled — set it up and supervise it from your phone.
- Safety built in — emergency stop when lifted or on collision, plus rain detection that pauses mowing in bad weather.
- Low cost & open — typically cheaper than a mid-range commercial mower, and every part of the design is shared so you can build (and improve) your own.
An ecosystem, not a single board
Open Mower is the umbrella project behind everything else on this page. It’s built from dedicated hardware modules — carrier boards for specific mowers, the xCore compute module, xESC Mini motor controllers, GPS, logic, and charger boards — plus firmware and OpenMowerOS.
Full build guides, hardware lists, firmware, and an active community live on the project site and Discord.
Engineering scope and design choices
The problem spans a complete device: replace random mowing with planned navigation while reusing an existing mower platform. The project connects carrier boards, compute, positioning, motor control, and application software. Separating these functions into modules supports different mower platforms without treating each conversion as an entirely new system.
Outcome and inspectable work
The project provides an open hardware/software ecosystem with mower-specific carrier boards and build documentation. The OpenMower project resources and OpenMowerOS source are the place to inspect the implementation and supported configurations. Performance and suitability for a particular mower depend on its hardware, configuration, and operating conditions.