Smart is in. Smart, as in smart technology, that is. Robot lawn mowers are the smarties of landscape maintenance. The smart mower trend is just starting and seems to show a future of other garden gadgets that are automatic. What are smart lawn mowers? Once you learn what they are, you may find yourself switching from your existing model.
What are Smart Mowers?
If you have better things to do on your day off than mow the lawn, you might consider getting an automatic lawn mower. These smart machines are part of a growing movement to utilize robotic technology. They take the work out of mowing, giving you more leisure time. However, are they as effective as a human’s mowing job? Just like everything new, there are some kinks to work out of the machinery.
Much like a Roomba vacuum cleaner, robotic lawn mowers do the work for you. They have a charging station, run on batteries, and are extremely quiet. Envision a platoon of inexhaustible elves taking care of the chore of mowing. The machine will run a random pattern which leads to the downside of the smart lawn mower trend. These random patterns aren't as pleasing to the eye as the careful stripes a human will lay.
If you want the appealing effect of a well-manicured golf course, this machine isn't for you. If you don't mind the random patterning and doing a little tidying up with a string trimmer afterward, this may be a good choice. If you want to sit back in your chaise lounge chair and sip a cocktail, this is definitely for you.
How Do Smart Mowers Work?
Smart mowers are almost plug and play technology. However, there is some set up to do initially. You need to run low voltage wire around the areas to be mowed. This is similar to an invisible fence that is set up for a dog. The wires are sensed by the mower, so it knows to stay in the boundary.
You will also need an outdoor outlet to charge the unit. After that, the mower will run itself. You can even program an automatic lawn mower to begin work at a certain time or run it through an app on your smart phone.
Automatic lawn mowers have a host of safety features. This makes sense since the unit operates unsupervised. The blades are small and will pretty much only cut grass. They are also recessed so no unprotected toes can get clipped. If the unit hits an obstruction it will turn away.
When you lift or tilt the mower, the blades will turn off, a handy safety feature if you have inquisitive children. Most mowers also have antitheft devices. Some require a pin code to operate. Others contain GPS to track the mower.
While this is fairly new technology, robot mowers have much to offer but still a few things that could use some tweaking.
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