Husqvarna's Automower Solar Hybrid
by John Laumer, Philadelphia 
on 10.25.08
"Daddy the cat is out...you didn't start the mower did you?" "Has anybody seen the automatic lawnmower?" Just one of many questions people will have about a solar powered lawnmower that toodles about the yard like an escaped Roomba vacuum. Husqvarna's website describes the product this way:
Being the worlds first fully automatic, robotic lawn mower, the Auto Mower is the ultimate user friendly mower. You don’t have to lift a finger to get a perfect lawn.
What they are forgetting is that lawn-mowing on the weekend is a male hominid ritual that will not easily change. Retired guys in the suburbs make sure they are seen cutting grass on Saturdays or that mowing is available as an excuse to miss church on Sunday (should it rain on Saturday). When it doesn't happen, friends call to see 'if everything is alright?'
No need to worry about kitty, though, according to the sales literature: Many Automower owners have pets – and this isn’t a problem. The animals get used to the Automower and it becomes like a member of the family.
Besides the quietude, I can see that there are multiple environmental benefits. No bagging: it's pure mulch mower. Reduced fugitive emissions. Owners can cancel their US$40/week landscaping contract, and count the savings against the capital and operating cost of the Automower Hybrid (said to be around $20.00/year in electricity). Wonder what the payback period would be in California?
Here's the real money for me: if enough people switch to Automowers, those big trucks lugging trailers full of lawn rigs will get off the roads, improving air quality. Gawd I hate those things in traffic.
See the basic setup and operational explanation below.
Before the Automower can get to work, you will need to simply staple a wire to the perimeter of the lawn. The wire will be overgrown and become invisible within a month. This wire can be sensed by the robotic mower and will ensure that only this area of grass is cut. The Automower will then work irregularly around the lawn – whatever its shape - until all parts have been covered. This gives the lawn an even result and a carpet-like finish. ‘Islands’ can be created by laying the wire around plants and flower beds. And if the mower hits any other obstacle, such as a tree or rock, it just reverses safely and selects a new direction before continuing.There's no comparison to a reel mower. With this baby on autopilot you can go away for a two-week trip and find your lawn perfectly kept. Try that with a reeler.The Automower comes with an automatic charging station. Once placed in a suitable position in the garden, this will keep its maintenance-free battery charged at all times. Besides the low running costs (around 12-25 dollars a year for the electricity consumed, depending on lawn size), the mower is so quiet that it won’t disturb your neighbours. And with no emissions, it is environmentally friendly.
Via:Husqvarna. Image credit:Husqvarna website banner excerpt.
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Solar power is amazing.
It might not be as powerful as electricity from the plug, but it's completely free.
Maybe we should realize that grass is a stupid way to landscape our properties. Instead of planting one species over a huge area that does nothing for the environment, why dont we plant a variety of native species that dont require maintenance and provide animal habitats? This would save money, time, and precious water!
I wonder what the legal implications are if the neighbor kid gets curious and manages to injure himself. Some how I don't think the natural selection defense would play too well in front of a jury.
Indeed, I helped design and build one of these (sans solar power) 20+ years ago and it was demonstrated live on national TV. The dimwit presenter decided to stick her foot in front of it to show that it would stop. I'd designed and built the sensor and knew it wasn't ready for primetime and was convinced she'd be horribly mangled in front of millions of viewers... Luckily she wasn't.
Bottom line: devices with sharp blades in semi-public spaces shouldn't be left unsupervised else inquisitive children and cats, etc, etc, are in mortal danger.
Rgds
Damon
It's nice to see solar technology slowly integrate lots of appliances but as Beth says the disciplined grass lawn is not only a water waste in most climates but it is also useless- plant some perennials that you can eat and thar suited for your climate instead of a caricature of nature!
Mowing is not just for males. I have a lot of small areas to mow using a ZTR mower. It uses plenty of gas but is actually more efficient than any regular mower or lawn tractor. I use less gas because it takes so much less time. I mow paths for human and animal walking as well as a small lawn for my dogs to do their thing in. The rest of the acreage is left as is or planted with trees and wild flowers.
Mowing is about the only non-green thing I do. One of those auto mowers would scare the crap (literally) out of my old dog and I can tell you how long it would take the great danes to chew it up: maybe an hour.
I'll pass.
OMG no way dude, that is just WAY too cool! I must have one.
JIff
www.anonymity.pro.tc
I wish one of these mowers would come with an "unknown animal" mode in which it would sense, zoom after, and chase dogs off my lawn.
You don’t have to lift a finger to get a perfect lawn.
http://newblogtopic.blogspot.com/
Too bad they cost a few thousand dollars.
I don't have a few thousand dollars.
While this solar gizmo is nice and green, I think I would enjoy one of those "reel" mowers you spoke of. I could pretend I was fishing, letting the mower slowly out then reeling it back in, whilst tidying up my lawn. Sounds perfect.
this is not lawn mower this is a LAMBO
Wow, can we get any lazier? Although its a great idea for people who can't mow their lawns, AND the fact that's its green is awesome, but its definitely encouraging very able people to be very lazy.
That's cool tool to help us make a better day :)
Thats cool. tho I wonder just how much the things gonna cost. thats what makes it unfriendly... It almost screams "you can have me if ya got the dough"...or mabbe they can have those EMI plans for these machines... now that would make it almost family...
@volksdaven: I agree... post a big sign on the machine saying : pesky kid... "dont't come closer if you here me humming - else you're gonna get hurt" and the stupid kid still goes and sticks his/ her fingers under it, and the mowers owner is still going to get sued for all he/she's worth and more... and then the kids parents will go after the company...
The justice systems have big friggin L plates (not learner plates) all over them, but we still cant do without it cos sometimes..just sometimes it puts the bad guys in jail instead of setting them free...
I put this product in the "what could possibly go wrong?" category.
Thanks,
Harvey
I wish I had a yard just so I could buy this.
The solar panel is 12 Watts according to the Operator's Manual, but that output could be increased with an increase in surface area - something like a very shallow sine wave or something like the dimples on a golf ball. I wouldn't be surprised to see 24-48W by summer 2009.
Husqvarna Solar Hybrid Docs:
Solar Hybrid Automower Leaflet 2008
Automower Brochure (all models)
Solar Hybrid Quick Guide
How about a good push mower instead? Get exercise, mow your lawn and reduce your environmental footprint at the same time.
This beast likely uses way to many resources to be sustainable. I suspect the life cycle footprint is probably greater than a gas powered motor. You can't make something green by just slapping a solar panel on it. Just more greenwashing and PR.
I just stumbled across this while looking for chainsaw parts....If this thing works half as well as Husqvarna's chainsaws, it'll be awesome
Solar mower is great but recommend checking out the lawnbott. If you have a bigger yard or one with hills, or want to pay a little less - the lawnbott is worth researching. The best lawnbott can mow up to 2 acres lawns fully automatically with hills up to 30 degrees. Also these are the only robotic lawn mowers that were approved by the consumer product safety commission. Checkout our lawnbott reviews at www.lawnbottreview.com