- German maker Nils printed a miniature Mk2 Golf GTI body for his homemade autonomous mower.
- Ultrasonic sensors watch for obstacles, while a thermal camera is intended to detect small animals.
- The maker reports more than 70 operating hours and 60 km; Volkswagen has shared the project.
At a glance, it looks like a tiny red Mk2 Volkswagen Golf GTI.
In motion, it is doing something the hot hatch never could: cutting the lawn. German maker Nils built the autonomous mower for his Project Hunter YouTube channel, borrowing the shape of his father’s Golf. His build video appeared roughly two months before the project drew fresh attention this week.
A miniature Golf with a job
The body panels are 3D-printed, with the grille, round lamps, flared arches and GTI-style details recreating the familiar silhouette. Nils says the bodywork alone took more than 100 hours to print. Underneath sits an aluminium frame carrying the mower’s working parts.
Lift the bonnet and the cutting mechanism is accessible. A brushless motor drives a height-adjustable disc, so the Golf shape is more than a shell around an ordinary toy. The little machine also has working lights, and Nils can control its speed, check the battery and view a live camera feed through a phone app.
Watching the lawn
Four ultrasonic sensors and bumper switches help it detect obstacles. An electrical current sensor can trigger an emergency stop, while a thermal camera is intended to identify small animals such as hedgehogs and bring the mower to a halt. Those safeguards matter more than the miniature wheels when it is roaming a garden unattended.
Nils says the mower has logged more than 70 hours of operation and covered 60 km, despite some early software problems. Volkswagen has noticed the build, sharing it on its official Facebook page and sending him a GTI grille badge. The engineering and the mowing remain Nils’s own work. For Golf fans, it is a familiar outline put to a thoroughly different use.
