I still remember the first time I got a Roomba. I thought, "How cool is this? I don’t have to vacuum anymore!" No more lugging a vacuum cleaner from room to room or switching outlets every time I needed to move to a new area.
The Roomba handled everything on its own, and all I had to do was empty the bin when it was done. It even found its charging base by itself and docked to recharge, ready to clean again.
Then, I realized something even better. I could set a schedule for the Roomba to clean every day, every other day, once a week — whatever I wanted. My floors would always be clean! And the best part? I could schedule it to run while I was away.
I didn’t even need to be home for it to work! I’d get a notification on my phone when the Roomba finished its task or if it got stuck or ran out of power.
That’s when I saw something even cooler — a robotic mower. Take a look at the Kress Mower, a fully autonomous machine that mows the lawn without anyone controlling it.
The labor savings are significant: no hydraulic leaks, no concerns about mowers being operated too fast, and no interruptions for lunch breaks or sick days after a big sports celebration. Best of all, you don’t have to pay anyone to operate it.
This mower works anytime — even at midnight or 3 a.m. — and runs quietly, so there’s no need to worry about noise complaints from homeowners. It’s also built to handle any weather conditions, whether it’s rain, heat or cold.
While a robotic vacuum like the Roomba works almost seamlessly, robotic mowers require some careful planning to operate efficiently.
First, consider where to place the charging stations. You want them out of the way, but also in locations that are easily accessible for the mower.
For example, if you have a satellite-based system, there’s usually a convenient spot to put the charging dock. For a two-wire system, you’ll need to figure out how to provide power.
If you’re considering installing a Rain Bird IC system, you may want to run power lines along with the mainline trench to accommodate future charging stations.
You’ll also need to do some mapping to set boundaries for the mower. You don’t want it accidentally mowing a bunker, or worse, heading into a lake.
But technology is advancing rapidly, and more companies are developing autonomous mowers in various sizes — from small units like the Kress mower to larger machines designed for fairways.
As technology improves, we can expect more tasks to become automated. It seems like the world of I, Robot isn’t so far off after all.