St Pölten cemetery deploys robot to water graves

A watering robot is helping gardeners care for graves at St Pölten’s main cemetery while reducing water use, ORF reports. The robot currently operates three nights a week and waters about 200 graves each night.

It is responsible for watering grave plants and travels from grave to grave at up to three kilometres per hour. Cemetery gardener Peter Bonigl oversees its operation and said the robot was helping with the increasing amount of watering required during hot summers.

Similar robots are already in use in Germany, but the cemetery in St Pölten is reportedly the first in Austria to use one. Each grave must first be entered manually on a digital map, including the amount of water and the pressure required. The robot then uses sensors and a camera to navigate and water the programmed graves independently.

The robot operates at night because the cemetery is busier during the day, with visitors, vehicles and employees creating obstacles. Night-time watering also reduces evaporation, meaning about 30 percent less water is needed.

Its tank holds 200 litres, enough for about 15 graves. Using Bluetooth, the robot communicates with filling stations and can refill itself. Additional stations will be needed if it is to cover the entire main cemetery, with their locations arranged to minimise detours.

The robot returns to its charging station before sunrise. It is intended to support the gardening team rather than replace it, giving staff more time for tasks such as trimming ground cover, removing weeds and cleaning graves.

Workers continue to water graves by hand at St Pölten’s Waldfriedhof because its paths are too narrow and winding for the robot. It requires wide paths and level ground to operate properly.