Robot Mowers Take The Sweat Out Of Lawn Care
source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106301575
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In the summer, the grass just grows and grows and grows. And that means people must mow and mow and mow.
But maybe not for long. Grass-cutting robots already exist, and more advanced ones are being developed by researchers who hope that robots may someday be helping out professional landscapers as well as trimming the turf at golf courses and athletic fields.
Small robots that can trim home lawns — at least average-sized ones that aren't on a steep hill — have been around for about a decade. Typically, the homeowner has to lay down a wire around the perimeter of the lawn. The robot moves around randomly within that boundary, taking off a bit of grass at a time while avoiding obstacles.
"The technology is here and it works," says Ames Tiedeman, vice president of the lawn and garden division at Systems Trading Corp. in New York, which distributes the Robomow brand of machines, made by a company called Friendly Robotics.
He says some models come with a kind of mini-garage so an owner can program the robot to come out at a certain time, mow for a while, then go back to its station to recharge its battery.
"You could program this to mow every other day, and you're done for the whole mowing season, once you set it up the first time," says Tiedeman.
But maybe not for long. Grass-cutting robots already exist, and more advanced ones are being developed by researchers who hope that robots may someday be helping out professional landscapers as well as trimming the turf at golf courses and athletic fields.
Small robots that can trim home lawns — at least average-sized ones that aren't on a steep hill — have been around for about a decade. Typically, the homeowner has to lay down a wire around the perimeter of the lawn. The robot moves around randomly within that boundary, taking off a bit of grass at a time while avoiding obstacles.
"The technology is here and it works," says Ames Tiedeman, vice president of the lawn and garden division at Systems Trading Corp. in New York, which distributes the Robomow brand of machines, made by a company called Friendly Robotics.
He says some models come with a kind of mini-garage so an owner can program the robot to come out at a certain time, mow for a while, then go back to its station to recharge its battery.
"You could program this to mow every other day, and you're done for the whole mowing season, once you set it up the first time," says Tiedeman.
