The unmanned lawnmower is nothing new, but we still think there's something downright iffy about arming a Roomba with sharp metal blades. That said, if you've been dying to get in on the action, SmartMow might be worth checking out. Set to hit the stores in Spring '09 for $749 (much cheaper than some otherrobo-mowers), the thing weighs 17 pounds, features three cutting blades, will cut around a sixth of an acre on a single charge (about 2-3 hours), and is auto-docking. As far as knowing where to mow, SmartMow eschews sci-fi grass detection algorithms and rudimentary artificial intelligence in favor of the tried but true method of marking off your mowable yard with an edge wire. The best thing about the bot, however, may be its educational value -- not only will it teach your kids about robotics, it will also show them how people with money can buy their way out of doing chores. Video after the break.
1/6th of an acre, with a 3 hour recharge? Assuming it docks and charges itself and then sends itself back out (it doesn't), it would then take roughly 12 hours to mow my lawn.
That IS slightly faster than my son mows it, but without all the bitching. I'll take one.
Pay only $175 (plus shipping) now and we'll invoice you for the remaining $575(and taxes if applicable) when your SmartMow is ready to ship for an overall savings of 25%! -------------------------------------- My lawn would eat up those three little blades in a week....
I got an old robomower years ago from woot but it doesnt climb slope well, also it will mow the same spot over and over again if the uneven land messed up its path... so I had to get rid of it and bought a normal mower...
Sure it is! We just need a central network to control the grass-cutting robots. It would probably be best to have it on a satellite, so it can look down at everybody's lawns.
We'll call it "Skynet". What could possibly go wrong!?
Or totally effective depending on your standpoint:
A. You would like a nice looking lawn to show off to the neighbors and then you can brag that a robot did it for you = Ineffective
B. You would like your lawn to look like a meth addict mowed it so that you can brag to the neighbors about having enough money to blow it on laziness = Effective!
Really, the only robot tech that is actually useful to me is my robot vac, it was cheap (£40) and it isn't even a real Roomba model, just some cheap Chinese one yet i haven't vacuum anywhere manually for over a year now, its practical and it works, this however looks like it needs a bit more importunate...
I actually have a SmartMow and have been using it since the Summer. I like it a lot, and for under $1k, you can't beat it. It doesn't climb big rocks, does your normal lawn mower?
I think it's not doing anything other than matting the grass down. Battery operated lawn mowers are hard--our Black & Decker does an okay job but it's not the same cut as our old gas mower. This thing looks like it has less than half the power of the B&D, so yeah, it's not going to do a very good job at all.
If you take it, you can't use it with out the card. You'd have to contact us and verify the owners information. If the information doesn't match, we'll have to contact the owner and let them know the last address we had on record.
You ought to get yourself a good electric mower then (not a B&D). I've had a Neuton Mower (http://www.neutonpower.com/home.aspx) for about 5 years and it cuts the grass just fine, and maintains a charge for over an hour. I love it. As long as you keep the blades sharp, an electric mower should do just fine. That being said, if you're seriously trying to convince anyone that a gas engine is always going to outpower an electric motor, you need to do some reading up on electric motors and their power to weight capabilities.
Full disclosure: I own the company that sells them, and I love all of the feedback. I'm trying to address all of the questions, concerns the best I can. I'll be updating the website and blog soon :)
Also, Thank you Mr. Flatley for the wonderful article and great work everyone at Engadget does.
I wonder how long it takes for a lawsuit to pop up after these things start shipping. My aunts roomba went rouge and ended up going down the street after jumping the threshold.
"not only will it teach your kids about robotics, it will also show them how people with money can buy their way out of doing chores" and how people without money can steal things from your lawn
Will it eat my St Augustine and leave it about 3" tall? What about odd shaped yards where you have garden boxes and a shed and grass that needs to be tamed around them?
Saltboy, Yes it will. And the odd shaped yard is not a problem as it detects obstacles using IR and also by using the perimeter wire. Also, if you don't like it - you can always send it back!
I figure to have a professional service mow my lawn every week, it would cost $400 over the course of four months, $200 if I did it bi-weekly (with my lawn, that would be overly optimistic.)
If this thing lasted two years without needing a replacement battery/blades/complete replacement, and assuming it worked well, after two years of use, it would pay for itself.
Of course, I can get a lawn tractor for $1,000 which has both fun and function!
now for those evil geniuses out there, this is a diy death machine. all you have to do is add a laser cannon and a targeting system, and voila! the evil SmartMower of Death is yours to command, for the extremely low price of $700!
I've had a Robomower I got on Woot! a few years ago. Works great! Their newer mowers are pretty pricey, so this one is welcome...similar to the original Robomower (also sold by Toro for a year or two) list price.
The technology MUST have improved by now...but my old Robomower still does the job (needed to change the batteries finally this year).
Pretty cool idea, Mr. Letsky. This is the USA, after all, so I hope you've got a good product liability attorney on retainer. If a neighborhood kid wanders into your yard and picks that thing up, 3 seconds is plenty of time for the SmartMow to cut his or her little fingers off! Anyone remember lawn darts?
Please remember that over 10,000 kids a year are injured by "human powered" lawn mowers according to ABC news (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Summer/Story?id=2101520&page=1) . The SmartMow, like other robot lawn mowers is still much safer than regular lawn mowers with less incidents.
I have a SmartMow and plenty of kids in my neighborhood (including my own). The normal reaction is they stare for a while, and ask their parents to get one. We hope for the safety and proper use for everyone.
Environmentally friendly? ---------------- Calling this thing environmentally friendly just because it uses Lithium Ion batteries (instead of lead-acid (?)) is a pretty weak argument, IMO. A lawnmower that uses a lithium ion battery (and that may use recycled plastics in its construction, granted) is far from what I'd call environmentally friendly, but I think we all have different definitions of the meaning of friendly...
I'll update that FAQ a little later and hopefully address some of your concerns. We're still working with different vendors about replacement batteries and extending the life and warranty of those batteries. From all of the great feedback from people like you, we're considering a battery warranty and will update our website accordingly.
Li-ion batteries are a bit more environmentally friendly, especially when compared to Lead Acid and Gas Engines. They are also much easier to recycle. Dell uses them. Here's a good article perhaps? http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/3285
I have had two mowers for 3 years, one a Toro iMow and one a Robomower - they are basically the same robot. They are fantastic.
I was injured and no longer able to mow my 25,000 ft of lawn since it is sloped and hilly. While looking at tractors I found the Robomower, purchased one then the other on Ebay. I have the best lawns on the street. The mowers have worked perfectly with a few maintenance and goofy sensor issues, but those problems are not even 25% of my old manual lawnmower's maintenance.
No gummy gas, no oil mix, no carburator, no choke, no transmission, no chains - think of how many mechanical problems are eliminated by an electric direct drive machine. I have had zero problems with the robot processor, compass, or controller. I also cut down 75% of herbicide application since the mowers go out so often that the weeds never get a chance to rise up, and the grass loves being trimmed making it thicker and more lush.
I found it is very important to sharpen the blades regularly for a beautiful cut. I must buy a new battery for my red robot this season since I used it 3 times per week for three mowing seasons. I will be very interested in this new mower as my existing bots approach retirement.
I have no financial interest in any of the mowers, but I wish people would try them so we could further reduce the cost while reducing herbicide and exhaust pollution. best wishes to all your lawns.
I'm sure you know that iRobot are due to bring out a robomower soon (well nothings confirmed but they have a patent application)
IMHO I think to compete against their robot mower, smartmow would definately need to be able to begin its mowing session on its own. so once it has depleted its charge, it can dock, charge and restart on its own.
I live in an aparmtnet right now, but as soon as I move out i'll def be buying a robot mower (i have a few home robots already and love them). With this in mind, I really like the idea of not having to start the robot mower myself so it can do its job and i can just maintain it when required.
apologies if your smartmow already does this scheduled approach.
Thanks for the comments, and I understand completely about the scheduling. The SmartMow will auto-dock and restart as needed to recharge and complete the mowing area. More scheduling is something we're looking into a little more. We found after some research to err on the side of safety ... if you have to be home to turn it on, maybe non owners are less likely to do something to your robot.
Lawnmower robots will be novelties until their owners don't have to drop delimiters to create a boundary around the property to be maintained. Still, we have to go through this phase to get the early adopters on-board to subsidize the growth of the market.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
posted Dec 22nd 2008 10:51AM
This phone does look pretty good though.
Does it climb rocks?
1/6th of an acre, with a 3 hour recharge? Assuming it docks and charges itself and then sends itself back out (it doesn't), it would then take roughly 12 hours to mow my lawn.
That IS slightly faster than my son mows it, but without all the bitching. I'll take one.
Here's a much better solution:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__MArXrjXkg
My math skills are poor so I'm just going to assume you're correct about those calculations.
My only worry, is that when these things learn to kill, people will be mowed down into organic fertilizer.
I see that the decepticons are positioning their pawns
So is it 175... or 700+ ?
From site.
Pay only $175 (plus shipping) now and we'll invoice you for the remaining $575(and taxes if applicable) when your SmartMow is ready to ship for an overall savings of 25%!
--------------------------------------
My lawn would eat up those three little blades in a week....
I got an old robomower years ago from woot but it doesnt climb slope well, also it will mow the same spot over and over again if the uneven land messed up its path... so I had to get rid of it and bought a normal mower...
I'm not sure the world is ready for unmanned cutting blades moving around about...
Sure it is! We just need a central network to control the grass-cutting robots. It would probably be best to have it on a satellite, so it can look down at everybody's lawns.
We'll call it "Skynet". What could possibly go wrong!?
Judging by the video, it looks almost comically ineffective.
Or totally effective depending on your standpoint:
A. You would like a nice looking lawn to show off to the neighbors and then you can brag that a robot did it for you = Ineffective
B. You would like your lawn to look like a meth addict mowed it so that you can brag to the neighbors about having enough money to blow it on laziness = Effective!
Brilliant, I am buying one in 2 years, when they are 200$ and made in China! Can't wait!
I wonder if you can program it to cut love letters and marriage proposals into your lawn.
Really, the only robot tech that is actually useful to me is my robot vac, it was cheap (£40) and it isn't even a real Roomba model, just some cheap Chinese one yet i haven't vacuum anywhere manually for over a year now, its practical and it works, this however looks like it needs a bit more importunate...
"Matthew? This is your mother. You know that green Roomba you bought us? It sliced up your father's toes and liquefied the cat."
I actually have a SmartMow and have been using it since the Summer. I like it a lot, and for under $1k, you can't beat it. It doesn't climb big rocks, does your normal lawn mower?
I think it's not doing anything other than matting the grass down. Battery operated lawn mowers are hard--our Black & Decker does an okay job but it's not the same cut as our old gas mower. This thing looks like it has less than half the power of the B&D, so yeah, it's not going to do a very good job at all.
I don't agree with you at all. As a SmartMow owner I can tell you it mulches the grass very well.
$700 bucks? better hope no on steals it off of your lawn
It uses a secure ID card, they can't use it if they steal it. Then again, Sid , I don't live in a bad area ...
So the bored sububanite kids will take it....tit for tat.
If you take it, you can't use it with out the card. You'd have to contact us and verify the owners information. If the information doesn't match, we'll have to contact the owner and let them know the last address we had on record.
Does it smell like battlebots in here?
LOL
robomike - as in, the producer of the SmartMow and administrator of Mike's blog? Hardly an unbiased opinion, I would gather.
unhookt, yep. That's me. of course I'm a little biased. Then again, I haven't had to mow my lawn since May. :)
Wheres the video???
It's on SmartMow.com , There's also more listed in the Support Page.
I'd paint it to look like Pac-Man
my inner geek is screaming that that is an amazing idea:!!!
@ Mike
You ought to get yourself a good electric mower then (not a B&D). I've had a Neuton Mower (http://www.neutonpower.com/home.aspx) for about 5 years and it cuts the grass just fine, and maintains a charge for over an hour. I love it. As long as you keep the blades sharp, an electric mower should do just fine. That being said, if you're seriously trying to convince anyone that a gas engine is always going to outpower an electric motor, you need to do some reading up on electric motors and their power to weight capabilities.
Here's another video of the SmartMow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS3OJG88MLY
Full disclosure: I own the company that sells them, and I love all of the feedback. I'm trying to address all of the questions, concerns the best I can. I'll be updating the website and blog soon :)
Also, Thank you Mr. Flatley for the wonderful article and great work everyone at Engadget does.
That thing is terrifying to watch. I'm tempted to edit the video with small people running from it while it mows.
I wonder how long it takes for a lawsuit to pop up after these things start shipping. My aunts roomba went rouge and ended up going down the street after jumping the threshold.
"not only will it teach your kids about robotics, it will also show them how people with money can buy their way out of doing chores" and how people without money can steal things from your lawn
Will it eat my St Augustine and leave it about 3" tall? What about odd shaped yards where you have garden boxes and a shed and grass that needs to be tamed around them?
Saltboy, Yes it will. And the odd shaped yard is not a problem as it detects obstacles using IR and also by using the perimeter wire. Also, if you don't like it - you can always send it back!
This is tempting.
I figure to have a professional service mow my lawn every week, it would cost $400 over the course of four months, $200 if I did it bi-weekly (with my lawn, that would be overly optimistic.)
If this thing lasted two years without needing a replacement battery/blades/complete replacement, and assuming it worked well, after two years of use, it would pay for itself.
Of course, I can get a lawn tractor for $1,000 which has both fun and function!
I digress. We'll see about this little bugger.
We've tested them a lot, and we're happy with the results. If there are any problems, we'll replace every things we need to.
We even cover those batteries for 2 years. I updated this information on SmartMow.com
this will solve our immigration problem
110%!
I would gladly pay this kind of money to not have to manually cut the yard again. My only wish is that it would cut for a longer period..
now for those evil geniuses out there, this is a diy death machine. all you have to do is add a laser cannon and a targeting system, and voila! the evil SmartMower of Death is yours to command, for the extremely low price of $700!
plus all the money for the laser cannon and targeting system...
I've had a Robomower I got on Woot! a few years ago. Works great! Their newer mowers are pretty pricey, so this one is welcome...similar to the original Robomower (also sold by Toro for a year or two) list price.
The technology MUST have improved by now...but my old Robomower still does the job (needed to change the batteries finally this year).
Pretty cool idea, Mr. Letsky. This is the USA, after all, so I hope you've got a good product liability attorney on retainer. If a neighborhood kid wanders into your yard and picks that thing up, 3 seconds is plenty of time for the SmartMow to cut his or her little fingers off! Anyone remember lawn darts?
Thanks Concerned ,
Please remember that over 10,000 kids a year are injured by "human powered" lawn mowers according to ABC news (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Summer/Story?id=2101520&page=1) . The SmartMow, like other robot lawn mowers is still much safer than regular lawn mowers with less incidents.
I have a SmartMow and plenty of kids in my neighborhood (including my own). The normal reaction is they stare for a while, and ask their parents to get one. We hope for the safety and proper use for everyone.
Can i get a Dueling Harness for it?
They are making a Wii game to go along with it so kids will still feel like they are mowing the lawn
This is clearly the first of the Terminator series robots! First kitties and then the owners.
The video is a very poor advertisement for the product. If that's how this thing will mow (and forget using a grass-catcher) then no thanks.
FAQ never covers the questions I seem to have:
http://smartmow.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=6&chapter=1
1) cost of replacement lithium-ion battery once its useful life of 300-500ish charge/ discharge cycles is up?
Environmentally friendly?
----------------
Calling this thing environmentally friendly just because it uses Lithium Ion batteries (instead of lead-acid (?)) is a pretty weak argument, IMO. A lawnmower that uses a lithium ion battery (and that may use recycled plastics in its construction, granted) is far from what I'd call environmentally friendly, but I think we all have different definitions of the meaning of friendly...
http://smartmow.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1
"SmartMow has a 2 year warranty on everything, except battery."
...yet those replacement battery costs are still a mystery.
Hi Tekdroid,
I'll update that FAQ a little later and hopefully address some of your concerns. We're still working with different vendors about replacement batteries and extending the life and warranty of those batteries. From all of the great feedback from people like you, we're considering a battery warranty and will update our website accordingly.
Li-ion batteries are a bit more environmentally friendly, especially when compared to Lead Acid and Gas Engines. They are also much easier to recycle. Dell uses them. Here's a good article perhaps? http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/3285
based on customer feedback, we now cover the battery for 2 years.
I have had two mowers for 3 years, one a Toro iMow and one a Robomower - they are basically the same robot. They are fantastic.
I was injured and no longer able to mow my 25,000 ft of lawn since it is sloped and hilly. While looking at tractors I found the Robomower, purchased one then the other on Ebay. I have the best lawns on the street. The mowers have worked perfectly with a few maintenance and goofy sensor issues, but those problems are not even 25% of my old manual lawnmower's maintenance.
No gummy gas, no oil mix, no carburator, no choke, no transmission, no chains - think of how many mechanical problems are eliminated by an electric direct drive machine. I have had zero problems with the robot processor, compass, or controller. I also cut down 75% of herbicide application since the mowers go out so often that the weeds never get a chance to rise up, and the grass loves being trimmed making it thicker and more lush.
I found it is very important to sharpen the blades regularly for a beautiful cut. I must buy a new battery for my red robot this season since I used it 3 times per week for three mowing seasons. I will be very interested in this new mower as my existing bots approach retirement.
I have no financial interest in any of the mowers, but I wish people would try them so we could further reduce the cost while reducing herbicide and exhaust pollution.
best wishes to all your lawns.
I could use one of these,my backyard is small enough to get mowed with a weedwacker but that is still a 20-40 job.
Sure it's not a Roomba? It looks like it sucks at cutting. On the other hand, it looks like it can carve a mean crop circle!
Steve, et. al
Here's another video. I think this one shows a better picture of how it mows the grass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwlWLQSaDIY
@ RoboMike
Great work with the product mate.
I'm sure you know that iRobot are due to bring out a robomower soon (well nothings confirmed but they have a patent application)
IMHO I think to compete against their robot mower, smartmow would definately need to be able to begin its mowing session on its own. so once it has depleted its charge, it can dock, charge and restart on its own.
I live in an aparmtnet right now, but as soon as I move out i'll def be buying a robot mower (i have a few home robots already and love them). With this in mind, I really like the idea of not having to start the robot mower myself so it can do its job and i can just maintain it when required.
apologies if your smartmow already does this scheduled approach.
cheers
@ Joel,
Thanks for the comments, and I understand completely about the scheduling. The SmartMow will auto-dock and restart as needed to recharge and complete the mowing area. More scheduling is something we're looking into a little more. We found after some research to err on the side of safety ... if you have to be home to turn it on, maybe non owners are less likely to do something to your robot.
@ RoboMike
Glad you're looking into more scheduling options.
Cheers
Lawnmower robots will be novelties until their owners don't have to drop delimiters to create a boundary around the property to be maintained. Still, we have to go through this phase to get the early adopters on-board to subsidize the growth of the market.