Meet Terra, the robot lawn mower

Remember Roomba—the self-moving, self-sensing, room-cleaning robotic vacuum cleaner that looks like a UFO? It will soon be joined by another robot that will take care of your lawn the way Roomba handles the mess in your rooms.

Terra is an intelligent robot lawn mower that uses state-of-the-art mapping and navigation technology to move around on grass. The robot employs the company’s Imprint smart mapping technology to learn about its environment and follow a straight line navigation model. This means it will cut your grass like a human would: in straight and back-and-forth lines.

The smart mapping technology is supported by stand-alone wireless beacons that users can place on the lawn to create a perimeter for Terra to follow. Users need to drive Terra around the perimeter once to help it create a map of the surroundings. Once that is done, Terra can be scheduled to mow with the help of iRobot’s HOME app. Users can even customize Terra’s functions with this app—from controlling what time of the day the lawn should be mowed to the height of the grass to be cut. The robot is designed to navigate outdoor terrain.

Terra is not the only name users can look at. The Honda Miimo 3000, Worx Landroid and Husqvarna’s Automower range are some other reliable robot lawn mowers available in the market.

The Terra robot mower will be first available for sale in Germany and as a beta programme in the US later this year. The company is yet to announce availability and pricing.