With modern technology evolving to a point where robot girlfriends and robot mailmen are actual things, can we expect robot lawnmowers soon? Well, the answer is a resounding yes. So what does this mean for the future of friendly lawn cutters around the country?
Does the prospect of losing the precious time you have sitting around in your underwear watching hilarious cat videos on a Sunday morning instead of painfully cutting your own lawn seem awesome? Don’t have a porch or a backyard because you’re a millennial living in an apartment? You can always bring the beauty of an outdoor garden indoors.
The article provided by LawnStarter ranks residents of Harrisburg, PA as 2nd out of the top 8 regions where you are more likely to find a robotic lawn mower in your neighbor’s yard, according to Google Trends data. So what makes the prospect of a robot mower so appealing to the lazy individual inside us all? Actually, there is no need to answer that…
The concept of enhancing our lives for the better with the assistance of our robotic friends with all pros and zero cons seems a win-win. When we examine things in detail, however, things get a little disappointing.
A pretty pricey convenience
If you are still fantasizing of having your brand, spanking new robot mower cutting grass while you chill, expect to fork out approximately $1,000 to over $2,000 for the privilege. Costs of maintenance, repairs and additional extras will significantly contribute to a larger figure. Research and Markets, a marketing research firm, predicts a staggering $2 billion market for robot mowers by the year 2021.
How safe are robo-mowers?
Aside from the cost of robot lawnmowers, many opposing their introduction of the machines to the general market are concerned with how unsafe they could be. One of the most appealing aspects of having a robot cut your grass is the convenience of walking away to return to have the job done minutes later. The reasonable concern of leaving a machine unattended, one which contains sharp blades and is programmed to move quickly and without conscious concern for children or animals, is bound to deter some.
What about rain or bad weather?
We have all made poor predictions regarding weather while attempting to mow the lawn. Granted, a simple drop of rain can be enough to convince us that we can offset the laborious task of cutting the grass for another six years, but a robot lawnmower would unlikely have such problems.
One of the frequently asked questions regarding these machines is how adaptable they are to environment and sudden changes in the weather. A number of models do contain built in rain sensors and features which allow you to program the bots with timers and abort commands, but in general, there is much work to be done to convince.
The future of flying cars, subservient robot girlfriends and machines which perform tasks you would rather not have to is appealing, in theory. As with many things, in practicality, they often turn out underwhelming.
In terms of robot mowers, the jury is still out.
