Introducing the Roomba for your lawn From smart TVs to a modular sofa that can be controlled by an app, home tech isn?t just something for the future, it?s in our homes now. New technologies aim to make our lives easier, safer, and?sometimes?a little bit cooler. It was only a matter of time before innovators tackled the next great frontier of irritating domestic chores: the yard.
Cordless electric robot mowers are like a Roomba for your yard, traveling around the grass with a set of sharp spinning blades. They run automatically on whatever schedule you?d like, day or night, and the clippings are left on the grass as extra fertilizer.
A low-voltage wire around the perimeter of your property creates an invisible fence that guides the robot and keeps it on track. Once you?ve marked out where you want your lawn robot to mow, the small machine runs on its own and makes your old, loud, stand-up mower obsolete. Models like Honda?s Miimo?which just launched in the United States as years of trimming lawns in Europe?have a docking station that charges the unit when not in service. When the mowers bump into things like your kid?s bike, they stop, turn around, and head in a different direction. And whenever batteries run low (usually after 30-70 minutes of mowing), the robots return to their base to be charged.
Many of the different robotic lawn mowers have other helpful features: Adjustable cutting heights, built-in rain sensors, and apps that let you change settings and pr...