You Can Finally Trust Your Lawn to a Robot

It may be about time for you to offload a sweaty Saturday chore: mowing your lawn. Writing for Quartz, Chris Morris argues that robot mowers' time has come, thanks to navigation and mapping technology advances that are morphing "what was once a niche gadget into something closer to a practical household tool." Gone are the requirements to install guide wire, as well as the fears that the robots will get bogged down or chew divots into the lawn. There are a growing number of worthy models to choose from, but Morris spotlights Segway's Navimow X4 Series. The mower is nearly three feet long and two feet wide, which enables a 17-inch cutting deck; an all-wheel drive system allows it to handle lawns that slope as much as 40 degrees.

Like other modern robot mowers, the X4 uses small razor-style blades tucked safely under its body. "Cutting is done frequently, daily even, rather than once a week," writes Morris, who advises you to "think of it as the lawncare equivalent of shaving vs. cutting a week's worth of stubble." Robot mowers run much quieter than gas machines, and shut off if lifted. The X4 can manage up to about 1.5 acres and even lay down parallel or checkerboard patterns. The catch: a starting price around $2,500, well above a standard mower but below many ride-ons. Read his full piece for more.