Lazing on a sunny afternoon

The latest autonomous lawnmowers are so technologically advanced, you might as well just pull up a lounger, pour yourself a Pimms and watch them do all the hard work. Chin-chin!

Words by Alex Moore

28 Is no activity safe from the driverless revolution, even that most sacrosanct of weekend rituals, mowing the lawn? As a matter of fact, there have been autonomous lawnmowers around for many years, but it’s only now that the market is really taking off. So which should you choose? Firstly, you need to consider the size of your garden, whether there’s much of an incline, how coarse the grass is and what kind of obstacles there are to navigate. Because, as you’ll very quickly discover, there are mowers to suit every type of lawn.

Above: Husqvarna's all-wheel-drive robotic Automower 435X AWD

The burly big brother of the robot vacuum cleaner works in much the same way, the main difference being that (with the exception of iRobot’s Terra model, which uses wireless beacons) you’re required to set out an electric border wire – ideally a couple of inches below the soil – which your robot’s sensors detect before turning accordingly.

The usual suspects, Honda, Bosch, Flymo and even John Deere, all have mowers that autonomously patrol your grounds, keeping within your allocated borders, returning to a charging dock when their battery runs low. Most come with Bluetooth and wi-fi capabilities, a mobile app and scheduling capabilities; but what you really pay for is range, battery life and power. The general consensus is that Swedish power tool manufacturer Husqvarna has designed the Rolls-Royce of robotic lawnmowers – even if it does look more like a Bugatti (the company also builds some rather smart motorcycles). Husqvarna has been making robotic mowers since 1995 – its first was in fact solar powered – but the award-winning Automower 435X AWD is a class apart. Aside from its supercar good looks (and price tag), the world’s first all-wheel-drive robotic mower utilises articulated steering to make light work of lawns up to 3,500 square metres in size, navigating obstacles, rough terrain and slopes of up to 70 per cent – which is practically as steep as a ski jump. It takes half an hour to charge and will then mow for 100 minutes. Meanwhile, the Automower Connect App lets you control your mower from the sofa thanks to a GPS tracking system that maps your garden. And if that still sounds like a bit too much trouble, simply bark instructions at your Google Home or Amazon Alexa, and the mower will take it from there. Think of it like a goat – but without the sass.