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I'm surprised (or maybe I just missed it) there isn't a Roomba thing to mow the lawn that works as well as the Roomba does for floors. That is, does a decent, b

I'm surprised (or maybe I just missed it) there isn't a Roomba thing to mow the lawn that works as well as the Roomba does for floors. That is, does a decent, but not perfect job. Maybe this is a harder problem to solve mostly due to the danger?

JohnJamesRambo 8y ago
Young me dreamed of this, older me realizes how dangerous a robot slinging a blade around without supervision is.
- dbcurtis 8y ago
  There is a robotic snow blower competition, run by U of Michigan, I think. The failure scenarios for that are even more frightening to think about.
alkonaut 8y ago
I think robot mowers do a bettter job than robot vacuums simple because it is (for reasonably simple lawns) a simpler problem. A house with some levels, stairs, chairs is a very hard problem for a roomba.
justtopost 8y ago
Carpet is pretty flat. Lawns appear flat, but are often not even close. Traction, spinning murderous blades, neighborhood kids and pets, lack of physical boundries, rocks, etc. It is a much more difficult problem. I understand there have been 'fixed path' models for years however.
- Thlom 8y ago
  Automatic lawn mowers are very normal in Norway. They are quiet and because they mow the lawn daily are better for the lawn as all the cuttings goes back to the ground. Most models requires an electromagnetic boundary, but geofenced versions are starting to come now. I've never heard of any accidents involving humans, but I know there have been some concern that they can cause harm to hedgehogs.
  - thedaemon 8y ago
    From my visit to Norway I did see them, but the lawns are much smaller than the average US lawn from my personal observation. That and the different climates of the world as well as ground cover. I highly doubt an automatic lawn mower would work in my lawn, a high desert climate with lots of fallen tree limbs and very thick and hardy weeds.
    - Thlom 8y ago
      Maybe the more expensive models? The normal ones that cost 10-15k NOK might work for a normal lawn, but more challenging lawns might need a model with bigger battery, gps, more sensors, better traction etc. the biggest husqvarnas top model can cover 5000 square meters, has sensors to avoid obstacles and can handle 45 degree incline. Should work for most lawns I guess. Weeds shouldn’t be a problem with any model as the mower will keep it down by mowing the lawn daily.
simlevesque 8y ago
They make them for the garden, it's called Tertill.
- iguy 8y ago
  Awesome, https://www.franklinrobotics.com/ https://www.franklinrobotics.com/ is the cutest thing ever. Maybe its big brother will do lawns though.
dgzl 8y ago
Possibly, though I get the feeling yards are just too complex to design a universal tool for. Some lawns have multiple disconnected patches, how would the device travel across? If you leave a hose across the lawn, hopefully it wouldn't run it over. The device would have to be "off road" capable with a strong motor for driving if it wants to handle any rough or uneven terrain. Likewise, I imagine the software works better for a small device, which would be a challenge as well, for the features it would require. I think this tool would be useful for single-patch, level, mildly-complex designed yards that are already partially maintained, and that's about it. Would you carry the device from front yard to back when it needs to be done? At that rate, you might just mow it manually.
smileysteve 8y ago
There are many. Stihl, Robo Mow, McCulloch to name a few. They require a bit more setup, but spread mowing out over time and are really quiet. https://www.toptenreviews.com/home/outdoor/best-robot-lawn-mowers/ https://www.toptenreviews.com/home/outdoor/best-robot-lawn-m...
acomjean 8y ago
My so and I got a robotic mower as it was a better alternative to mowing strife. It works quite well (excepting the ac/dc power converter which inexplicitly failed after 1 year, but it was outside). It did involve running (staking) a wire around the perimeter of the yard, as a boundary. There are a couple of tricky bits where it very occasionally gets stuck, but overall very happy with it. The landroid cutters are strange, (think 2 inch long razor blades) and I was skeptical that it would do the whole yard. But it does. Its very slow moving, but like many robots incredibly persistent. It follows the border wire back to the charging station.
sien 8y ago
These things are meant to be fab: https://www.husqvarna.com/au/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/ https://www.husqvarna.com/au/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/ But also pricey. A couple of K for one.
- franciscrick1 8y ago
  What do you mean "Fab"?
  - DanBC 8y ago
    fab = fabulous, which can mean "amazing" to "really quite good".
    - franciscrick1 8y ago
      "meant to be fabulous" is a weird construction.
      - DanBC 8y ago
        "meant to be" means "other people say"
- ghaff 8y ago
  So, for me, that would be over two years of mine lawn service which also does some however imperfect weed whacking and some tricky areas that I would have to do on my own. That’s not terrible break even but not great either.

JohnJamesRambo 8y ago

Young me dreamed of this, older me realizes how dangerous a robot slinging a blade around without supervision is.

dbcurtis 8y ago
There is a robotic snow blower competition, run by U of Michigan, I think. The failure scenarios for that are even more frightening to think about.

alkonaut 8y ago

I think robot mowers do a bettter job than robot vacuums simple because it is (for reasonably simple lawns) a simpler problem. A house with some levels, stairs, chairs is a very hard problem for a roomba.

justtopost 8y ago

Carpet is pretty flat. Lawns appear flat, but are often not even close. Traction, spinning murderous blades, neighborhood kids and pets, lack of physical boundries, rocks, etc. It is a much more difficult problem. I understand there have been 'fixed path' models for years however.

Thlom 8y ago
Automatic lawn mowers are very normal in Norway. They are quiet and because they mow the lawn daily are better for the lawn as all the cuttings goes back to the ground. Most models requires an electromagnetic boundary, but geofenced versions are starting to come now. I've never heard of any accidents involving humans, but I know there have been some concern that they can cause harm to hedgehogs.
- thedaemon 8y ago
  From my visit to Norway I did see them, but the lawns are much smaller than the average US lawn from my personal observation. That and the different climates of the world as well as ground cover. I highly doubt an automatic lawn mower would work in my lawn, a high desert climate with lots of fallen tree limbs and very thick and hardy weeds.
  - Thlom 8y ago
    Maybe the more expensive models? The normal ones that cost 10-15k NOK might work for a normal lawn, but more challenging lawns might need a model with bigger battery, gps, more sensors, better traction etc. the biggest husqvarnas top model can cover 5000 square meters, has sensors to avoid obstacles and can handle 45 degree incline. Should work for most lawns I guess. Weeds shouldn’t be a problem with any model as the mower will keep it down by mowing the lawn daily.

simlevesque 8y ago

They make them for the garden, it's called Tertill.

iguy 8y ago
Awesome, https://www.franklinrobotics.com/ https://www.franklinrobotics.com/ is the cutest thing ever. Maybe its big brother will do lawns though.

dgzl 8y ago

Possibly, though I get the feeling yards are just too complex to design a universal tool for. Some lawns have multiple disconnected patches, how would the device travel across? If you leave a hose across the lawn, hopefully it wouldn't run it over. The device would have to be "off road" capable with a strong motor for driving if it wants to handle any rough or uneven terrain. Likewise, I imagine the software works better for a small device, which would be a challenge as well, for the features it would require. I think this tool would be useful for single-patch, level, mildly-complex designed yards that are already partially maintained, and that's about it. Would you carry the device from front yard to back when it needs to be done? At that rate, you might just mow it manually.

smileysteve 8y ago

There are many. Stihl, Robo Mow, McCulloch to name a few. They require a bit more setup, but spread mowing out over time and are really quiet. https://www.toptenreviews.com/home/outdoor/best-robot-lawn-mowers/ https://www.toptenreviews.com/home/outdoor/best-robot-lawn-m...

acomjean 8y ago

My so and I got a robotic mower as it was a better alternative to mowing strife. It works quite well (excepting the ac/dc power converter which inexplicitly failed after 1 year, but it was outside). It did involve running (staking) a wire around the perimeter of the yard, as a boundary. There are a couple of tricky bits where it very occasionally gets stuck, but overall very happy with it. The landroid cutters are strange, (think 2 inch long razor blades) and I was skeptical that it would do the whole yard. But it does. Its very slow moving, but like many robots incredibly persistent. It follows the border wire back to the charging station.

sien 8y ago

These things are meant to be fab: https://www.husqvarna.com/au/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/ https://www.husqvarna.com/au/products/robotic-lawn-mowers/ But also pricey. A couple of K for one.

franciscrick1 8y ago
What do you mean "Fab"?
- DanBC 8y ago
  fab = fabulous, which can mean "amazing" to "really quite good".
  - franciscrick1 8y ago
    "meant to be fabulous" is a weird construction.
    - DanBC 8y ago
      "meant to be" means "other people say"
ghaff 8y ago
So, for me, that would be over two years of mine lawn service which also does some however imperfect weed whacking and some tricky areas that I would have to do on my own. That’s not terrible break even but not great either.