Robot mower now man's best friend

Wintertime lawnmowing, with no excuse required. Photo / Husqvarna

Mowing the lawns - especially at this time of year - is not something that the average Kiwi male gets excited about.

But a product just released in the United States could help promote lawn mowing enthusiasm, because the robot mower does all the work without any supervision.

The super-quiet Husqvarna Auto Mower is powered with a rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery to quietly mow and mulch lawns whenever its owner tells it to.

It automatically returns to its base when the power starts to get low, and charges itself up again.

A wire is buried just underground to sets the mower's boundaries and protect the swimming pool and begonias. It will mow around small trees by itself.

A safety sensor stops the blades spinning when people are in the vicinity, so there's no problem of the lawnmower attacking the cat or kids.

The only bad news is the price and availability - it retails for $2000 ($NZ2650) in America and is unclear when Kiwis will get to sit back and relax while the robot does the lawns.

- NZ HERALD STAFF