Robotic lawn mower
Encyclopedia
A robotic lawn mower is an autonomous robot
used to cut lawn grass. A typical robotic lawn mower requires the user to set up a border wire around the lawn that defines the area to be mowed. The robot uses this wire to locate the boundary of the area to be trimmed and in some cases to locate a recharging dock. Robotic mowers are capable of maintaining up to 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of grass
.
Robotic lawn mowers are increasingly sophisticated, are self-docking and some contain rain sensor
s if necessary, nearly eliminating human interaction. Robotic lawn mower
s represented the second largest category of domestic robot
s used by the end of 2005.
Automower was the first robotic mower made available through mainstream channels. Between 1995 and 1999 Husqvarna introduced their first fully solar
robotic mower and their first Generation 1 automatic robotic mower. From 1995 through 2003 Husqvarna's Automower was successful. However, Husqvarna's boom in robotic mower sales really began in 2004 with the introduction of the Generation 2 Automower.
Originally branded the Electrolux
Automower after Husqvarna's parent company at the time, the Generation 2 machine featured many advancements not previously seen. The primary advancements were the ability for the mower to find its charging station
via radio frequency
, by following the boundary wire, or by following an optional guide wire
. This improvement eliminated wear patterns in the lawn caused by the mower only being able to follow one wire back to the station.
The Generation 2 Automower also had the ability to be easily programmed to follow the guide wire or the boundary wire out of the station to remote areas so the mower would always get to all areas of the lawn even if accessible only through narrow passages. Improved wheel motors and more aggressive wheels provide more stability on hillsides. the blade height adjustment was made accessible from the top of the machine versus from below on the Generation 1.
The first model of the third generation was released on February 22, 2011. The Automower 305 got a completely redesigned outer shell and the previously used Ni-MH batteries were replaced by a set of Li-ion batteries. This new robot is capable of mowing lawns up to 500 sq m will probably be the smallest of the new generation. The second generation models remain on the market with the exception of the Automower 210C.
ing lawnmower made by Friendly Robotics
. Invented in Israel
, the product charges from household current
, so it does not directly emit any greenhouse gas
es. It was identified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling robotic lawn mower in the world. It comes with a rechargeable lead–acid battery pack. It can be programmed to mow around the perimeter of the lawn and inside the lawn. It has sensors on the front and on the back. The mower uses tiling
algorithms to calculate the most effective pattern for cutting the entire lawn.
The mower is programmed to emerge from a recharging station on command or at a scheduled time. The mower will criss-cross a lawn (from edge to edge) at random angles and will spiral randomly usually in the middle of the lawn. The more advanced models can control blade speed based on grass height and spiral when longer grass is found. When the battery
is exhausted or the schedule has ended the mower will return automatically to its base to recharge by following the perimeter guide wire.
Autonomous robot
Autonomous robots are robots that can perform desired tasks in unstructured environments without continuous human guidance. Many kinds of robots have some degree of autonomy. Different robots can be autonomous in different ways...
used to cut lawn grass. A typical robotic lawn mower requires the user to set up a border wire around the lawn that defines the area to be mowed. The robot uses this wire to locate the boundary of the area to be trimmed and in some cases to locate a recharging dock. Robotic mowers are capable of maintaining up to 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
.
Robotic lawn mowers are increasingly sophisticated, are self-docking and some contain rain sensor
Rain sensor
A rain sensor or rain switch is a switching device actuated by rainfall. There are two main applications for rain sensors. The first is a water conservation device connected to an automatic irrigation system that causes the system to shut down in the event of rainfall...
s if necessary, nearly eliminating human interaction. Robotic lawn mower
Lawn mower
A lawn mower is a machine that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a lawn at an even length.Lawn mowers employing a blade that rotates about a vertical axis are known as rotary mowers, while those employing a blade assembly that rotates about a horizontal axis are known as cylinder or reel...
s represented the second largest category of domestic robot
Domestic robot
A domestic robot is a robot used for household chores. Thus far, there are only a few limited models, though science fiction writers and other speculators have suggested that they could become more common in the future...
s used by the end of 2005.
Husqvarna Automower
The Husqvarna ABHusqvarna AB
The Husqvarna Group is the world's largest producer of outdoor power products including chainsaws, trimmers, lawn mowers and garden tractors. The Group is also the European leader in consumer watering products and one of the world leaders in cutting equipment and diamond tools for the construction...
Automower was the first robotic mower made available through mainstream channels. Between 1995 and 1999 Husqvarna introduced their first fully solar
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
robotic mower and their first Generation 1 automatic robotic mower. From 1995 through 2003 Husqvarna's Automower was successful. However, Husqvarna's boom in robotic mower sales really began in 2004 with the introduction of the Generation 2 Automower.
Originally branded the Electrolux
Electrolux
The Electrolux Group is a Swedish appliance maker.As of 2010 the 2nd largest home appliance manufacturer in the world after Whirlpool, its products sell under a variety of brand names including its own and are primarily major appliances and vacuum cleaners...
Automower after Husqvarna's parent company at the time, the Generation 2 machine featured many advancements not previously seen. The primary advancements were the ability for the mower to find its charging station
Charging station
An electric vehicle charging station, also called EV charging station, electric recharging point, charging point and EVSE , is an element in an infrastructure that supplies electric energy for the recharging of electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric-gasoline vehicles) or semi-static and mobile...
via radio frequency
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...
, by following the boundary wire, or by following an optional guide wire
Guide wire
A guide wire may refer to:*A step in the Seldinger technique*A misspelling of guy-wire*The character called Guide Wire from the anime series Rave Master...
. This improvement eliminated wear patterns in the lawn caused by the mower only being able to follow one wire back to the station.
The Generation 2 Automower also had the ability to be easily programmed to follow the guide wire or the boundary wire out of the station to remote areas so the mower would always get to all areas of the lawn even if accessible only through narrow passages. Improved wheel motors and more aggressive wheels provide more stability on hillsides. the blade height adjustment was made accessible from the top of the machine versus from below on the Generation 1.
The first model of the third generation was released on February 22, 2011. The Automower 305 got a completely redesigned outer shell and the previously used Ni-MH batteries were replaced by a set of Li-ion batteries. This new robot is capable of mowing lawns up to 500 sq m will probably be the smallest of the new generation. The second generation models remain on the market with the exception of the Automower 210C.
Models
- Automower 210C – The Automower 210C is designed for smaller lawns. The mower is designed to be put out by the owner one or two times a week and the mower mows up to five hours at a time. The mower is then stored until the next mowing. Discontinued.
- Automower 220AC – This model is powered off a standard 110 volt power supply. This mower is fully automatic, and will find its way back to the station on its own, and is fully programmable. The 220AC is designed for lawns up to 0.5 acre (0.202343 ha).
- Automower 230ACX – The 230ACX is similar to the 220AC but with twice the battery strength and more powerful wheel motors. The Automower 230ACX to handle lawns up to 0.75 acre (0.3035145 ha). The 230ACX also comes with the ability to run two guide wires, and program up to five remote areas.
- Automower Solar Hybrid – The Automower Solar Hybrid is designed to draw as much of its power supply as possible from the sun. The Solar Hybrid's functionality is very similar to the 230ACX with exception to the solar technology. This is the second generation of solar powered robotic lawn mowers in the Automower family, and the only lawn mower robot on the market that uses solar power.
- Automower 260ACX – The 260ACX handles up to 1.5 acre (0.607029 ha) of lawn, and has built in anti collision sensorsPressure sensorA pressure sensor measures pressure, typically of gases or liquids. Pressure is an expression of the force required to stop a fluid from expanding, and is usually stated in terms of force per unit area. A pressure sensor usually acts as a transducer; it generates a signal as a function of the...
and is able to send mobile text messages. - Automower 310 - An affordable robot, designed to cover small backyards with lawn up to 500 sqm. It uses Li-ion battery and comes with a docking station. This is the first model of Generation 3.
Friendly Robotics Robomow
The Robomow is a robotic mulchMulch
In agriculture and gardening, is a protective cover placed over the soil to retain moisture, reduce erosion, provide nutrients, and suppress weed growth and seed germination. Mulching in gardens and landscaping mimics the leaf cover that is found on forest floors....
ing lawnmower made by Friendly Robotics
Friendly Robotics
Friendly Robotics is a retailer of autonomous Lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners . It was founded in Pardesia, Israel in 1995, by Udi Peless and Shai Abramson. It supplies its products to the markets of the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Future plans for the Company...
. Invented in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, the product charges from household current
Mains electricity
Mains is the general-purpose alternating current electric power supply. In the US, electric power is referred to by several names including household power, household electricity, powerline, domestic power, wall power, line power, AC power, city power, street power, and grid power...
, so it does not directly emit any greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
es. It was identified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling robotic lawn mower in the world. It comes with a rechargeable lead–acid battery pack. It can be programmed to mow around the perimeter of the lawn and inside the lawn. It has sensors on the front and on the back. The mower uses tiling
Tessellation
A tessellation or tiling of the plane is a pattern of plane figures that fills the plane with no overlaps and no gaps. One may also speak of tessellations of parts of the plane or of other surfaces. Generalizations to higher dimensions are also possible. Tessellations frequently appeared in the art...
algorithms to calculate the most effective pattern for cutting the entire lawn.
Currently available models
- Robomow RM200 - has only one blade, designed for lawns up to 250 sq m, has no docking station, no scheduling, not fully autonomous
- Robomow RM400 - has only one blade, designed for lawns up to 400 sq m, comes with a docking station, scheduling is available, fully autonomous
- Robomow RL850 - has three blades, designed for lawns up to 1000 sq m, has no docking station, no scheduling, not fully autonomous
- Robomow RL855 - has three blades, designed for lawns up to 1000 sq m, has no docking station, no scheduling, not fully autonomous (same as RL850, but has new software and improved boundary detection)
- Robomow RL2000 - has three blades, designed for lawns up to 2000 sq m, comes with a docking station, can be scheduled, has the newest software, better battery management and improved boundary detection.
LawnBott / Zucchetti Ambrogio
The LawnBott is a mower marketed in the U.S. and Canada by Kyodo America Home Robotics. The mowers are manufactured by the Italian engineering company Zucchetti Centro Sistemi, and are distributed in some European countries under the brand names Mowbot, Ambrogio, Oscar, and Wiper.The mower is programmed to emerge from a recharging station on command or at a scheduled time. The mower will criss-cross a lawn (from edge to edge) at random angles and will spiral randomly usually in the middle of the lawn. The more advanced models can control blade speed based on grass height and spiral when longer grass is found. When the battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
is exhausted or the schedule has ended the mower will return automatically to its base to recharge by following the perimeter guide wire.
Models
- LB2100/LB2150 (Professional) – This model uses two lead acid batteries and can cover 0.5 acre (0.202343 ha) with slopes of up to 12 degrees. Added in 2009, the LB2150 is the same model but with a single lithium battery and can cover slopes up to 27 degrees.
- LB3200/LB3210/LB3250 (Evolution) – This model is the same size as the LawnBott Professional but with a lithium-ion battery. It can cover 0.75 acre (0.3035145 ha) and 27 degree slopes. Optional spiked wheels allow use on slopes up to 30 degrees. A 2nd internal lithium-ion battery can be added to increase coverage to approximately 1.25 acre (0.5058575 ha).
- LB3500/LB3550 – This model has a single lithium-ion battery with room for two more. It can cover 1 acre (0.404686 ha) or up to 2 acre (0.809372 ha) with two more batteries.
- LB1200/Spyder – This mode is the first household robotic lawn mower that requires no perimeter wire. It comes with 1 lithium battery. The coverage is 5500 sq ft (511 m²) with slopes of up to 27 degrees.
Belrobotics
Belrobotics is a Belgian robotic lawn mower manufacturer. The original company was founded in 1991 as Solar and Robotics to develop robotic product from lawn mowers to vacuum cleaners. The company was sold to a Belgian entrepreneur and was renamed to Belrobotics. The first commercially available product, the Bigmow was released in 2003, and it was followed by 4 other lawn mower and ball picker robots. Belrobotics is specialized in commercial lawn care and golf course maintenance (golf ball picker robot), currently their products are designed to work from 5000 sq m and up.Models
- Bigmow - designed for lawns up to 20,000 sqm, 5 cutting heads, 15 blades, 105 cm cutting width
- Parcmow - designed for lawns up to 9000 sq m, 3 cutting heads, 9 blades, 65 cm cutting width
- Greenmow - designed for lawns up to 5000 sq m, 2 cutting heads, 6 blades, 44 cm cutting width
- Ballpicker - designed to collect up to 12500 golf balls per day on golf driving range, fully autonomous: charges itself and releases collected balls automatically