There’s nothing like the look and smell of freshly cut grass, but for an increasing number, mowing the lawn as become an unpleasant experience and a waste of time. Some home owners spend hours every week doing the work while others are investing in a robot lawn mower to do the work.
A robotic lawn mower is an autonomous robot used to cut lawn grass. A typical robotic lawn mower (in particular earlier generation models) 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 30,000 m2 (320,000 sq ft) of grass.
Think of robot lawn mowers as Roombas, but for lawns.
The global robotic lawn mower market size is expected to reach revenue of $1.3 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of over 12% during the period 2019–2025. The market demand will be fueled by the growth of the residential sector in the global market.
The following factors are likely to contribute to the growth of the robotic lawn mower market during the forecast period:
• Merging of Consumer Electronics & Internet of Things
• Increased adoption of green spaces
• No resolution of safety hazards of gas and diesel lawn mowers
• Growing marketing and promotional activities
Robotic lawnmowers suitable for small-sized lawns are popular in North America and Europe. In Europe, the demand for small-sized garden equipment is high, as most European lawns and gardens tend to be smaller than the US.
The global smart segment is expected to reach 344k units by 2025. The garden equipment industry is increasingly heading toward a world of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Robotic lawnmowers can leverage the benefits of machine learning to achieve greater efficiency, enhance product quality, and optimize workflows.
The European robotic lawn mower market is expected to reach $1.7 billion by 2025. Europe, which is considered as one of the largest in the gardening equipment segment, is mainly expected to be driven by commercial end-users that are increasing the usage of these machines in their respective businesses. Companies are expected to use ground management equipment, increasing the need for landscaping services in the area. A growing number of commercial spaces, with the number of public parks and lawn areas, is also boosting the demand for robotic lawn equipment in Europe.
Benefits of Robotic Mowers:
Zero Emissions – Robots are fuel and emissions free, using approximately $2 worth of electric per month.
Reliable Mowing – Can mow every day, rain or sun.
Perfect cut – lawns are cut every day with the clippings used as fertilizer for the lawn.
Quite mowing – Can be ran at night.
Typical robotic mower specifications:
Lawn Size – 0.2 to 1.25 Acres
Expected Runtime – 60 to 270 minutes
Charging Time – 50 to 90 minutes
Cutting Width – 7 to 9.45 inches
Cutting Height – 2 to 7 inches
Maximum Slope – 14 to 24 Degrees
Modes – Chaotic moving patterns
Sensors and Other Features – Alarm, PIN Code, Installation Lock, Time Lock, Lift Sensor, Tilt Sensor
Warranty – 2 Years
Each mower also lists the maximum slope it’s able to climb while still achieving a successful cut. In general, you’ll pay more if you want more ground covered and higher hills climbed, though there are exceptions. A few other things to keep in mind include integrated rain sensors, companion app quality, weather resistance, and GPS.s below.
Robot mowers operate on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and run automatically based on a schedule, which the user sets using an app. When it’s time to mow, they head out cutting the grass to a predetermined height and generating grass clippings that essentially become mulch.
Robot mowers learn where to mow based on a perimeter wire, which you’ll lay around the edges of your lawn to form a boundary. The mower will turn around, cut a different area until it runs into another wire boundary or senses an object in its path. When they’re not running, they sit safely docked in a charging port plugged into an outdoor outlet.
Robot Lawn Mowers eliminate reliance on traditional lawn crews, who move from yard to yard. With the robot mowers, there is no need to worry about social distancing and COVID-19. Plus, the battery-powered bot’s quiet motor is a welcome alternative from the noisy blowers and mowers disrupting the workflow happening in home offices. It’s the perfect way for homeowners, campuses, recreational spaces, property management groups and homeowners’ associations to save time and the environment. PSR
Michael Aistrup is a Senior Analyst at Power Systems Research
