Honda might make great cars, but they really don’t stop there – with planes in the works they’ve taken aim at the humble home lawn with the launch of their first robotic lawn mower in the United States.
Honda Miimo control panel
This little fella – Miimo – will be out there roaming around gently trimming your lawn while you work, or play – whatever you do, it won’t be mowing the lawns.
Sure, you’re going to need to do the edges now and then – but who wouldn’t be ok with that?
Vice President of Honda Power Equipment Michael Rudolph said “[it] delivers a beautiful lawn without homeowners having to physically cut their grass,”
“For customers who want to be on the cutting edge of technology, have busy lifestyles and don’t have the time for lawn care, or for customers who don’t enjoy cutting the grass, Miimo is the high-tech approach to achieving a beautiful yard.”
Like other similar products from Husqvarna, the entire boundary of your lawn has a wire buried in it which the mower detects and turns away from. Honda say their unique turning motion allows the Miimo to turn in a sweeping motion rather than having to reverse around any obstacles.
Having visited the home of Husqvarna and seen many similar mowers in action, it’s clear to me the concept of a robot mower is a sound one, constantly trimming instead of cutting away once every now and then gives a better finish to the lawn.
While the Miimo offers three modes – Random, Directional, and Mixed – we’re told Random is the best for large areas like most Aussie lawns.
No word yet on Australian availability, though I have been told in the past our lawns are difficult for these little robot creatures because of the amount of bark or larger debris that falls on them. Interesting to see what happens!
