Terra, the Roomba for your yard. — AFP Relaxnews
iRobot has introduced its new creation Terra, the grass-cutting version of the famous Roomba automatic robot vacuum.
It was only a matter of time before Roomba tech was used for more than just vacuuming, and on Jan 30 it finally happened: iRobot announced an automatic, Roomba-inspired robot lawn mower that can trim your grass while you relax by the pool.
Apart from the fact that this robot clips your lawn instead of vacuums up dust, Terra and Roomba function in basically the same way; both are flat, automatically rolling devices that sit patiently in a rechargeable dock until their service is requested. Terra just gets a couple extra features that are necessary for living a life outside.
While some unmanned, automatic mowers do already exist, most require owners to line their yard with a wire border to ensure that the mower doesn't go astray; Terra, however, relies on wireless beacons as yard boundary reference points. These markers help Terra create a digital map of your yard in which, via a complementary application, you can tell your lawn Roomba what to avoid like flowerbeds or furniture.
iRobot claims that this model is rugged enough to handle uneven, difficult terrain and withstand the elements. Plus, if you like your lawn neat and in order, Terra can cut grass at different heights and mow in straight, parallel lines, giving even the laziest of owners that handsome light-dark lawn pattern.
As for exact details, iRobot hasn't offered much yet. The charge time, run time, and cover area is still unknown, and the suspected price is rather ambiguous, falling within the range in price of "other lawn-mowing robots" which spans from under a grand to over US$10,000 (RM40,860), according to CNET who spoke with the company.
Terra is expected to be available exclusively to the German market in Q3 of this year. Shortly thereafter, the bot will be available through a beta programme in the United States followed by global market availability in 2020. – AFP Relaxnews
