Hybrid power robotic equipment now fitted with trimmer attachment

The weed trimmers each cut a 10-inch swath and their height can be adjusted by remote control.
Photo: Evatech Inc.

Since we first took notice of Evatech Inc.’s remote-controlled robotic mowers in December of last year, the Tarpon Springs, Florida, company has been building bigger machines and says customers worldwide are buying them. Its founder and the machines’ creator, Luis Medina, has just introduced a trimmer attachment for one of the more powerful tracked robots, the Hybrid Goat 22T.

The Robotic Trimmer Attachment, called the RTA in the video below, is powered by electricity, which is generated by the Hybrid Goat 22T. The equipment is operated by a person with a remote control. When you get the hang of it, Evatech promises, you’ll manage the mower and trimmer with one finger.

Medina and his company market the machines as the right choice for dangerous areas: slopes, beneath freeway guardrails, beside ponds or other bodies of water, and similar sites.

The electrical engineer started Evatech in 2003, focusing on his machines after several years at AT&T, Sprint and then Progress Energy in Florida. Using its website to market worldwide, Medina says the company has achieved annual growth between 10 and 20 percent for the past several years.

“I’m very thankful for our customers,” he said, “and we have a good team.” Medina stressed that R&D is ongoing and he said components of artificial intelligence may figure into later models of the company’s robotic equipment.

While the RTA attachment for the 22T is a commercial product, Evatech’s initial robots were definitely a novelty for homeowners. The company came out with the much larger Hybrid Goat 22T about this time last year.

Much larger than the company’s earliest robots, the Hybrid Goat 22T can be outfitted as a mower as well.
Photo: Evatech Inc.

Landscaping companies may find use for the newer, larger machines for safety reasons. The industry is all too aware that deaths and serious injuries can happen when using large power equipment, and slopes frequently are involved.

Evatech says each trimmer on the RTA cuts a 10-inch wide swath. The height of the weed trimmer can be adjusted with the remote control. Springs on the trimmer arms absorb contact with objects such as poles, preventing damage, the company says.

The controller features two joy sticks and a dial. One joy stick controls the movement of the mower. The other controls the gasoline engine and is used to engage the motors for the RTA. Evatech says the RTA retails for $1,500.

The Hybrid Goat 22T, which Evatech’s website prices at $8,299, can handle steep hills and rough terrain, the company says.

Here’s the demonstration video: