Toro iMow - A Robotic Mower that Works?

sg3000 asks: "Our lawnmower broke -- it's an electric, rechargeable Craftsman mulcher mower, and it seems the battery won't charge any longer. So, now we have to find a new lawnmower. My wife, being an environmentalist, listed her requirements: electric, zero emissions, and mulching. Luckily, she never said she didn't want robot to mow our lawn, so my solution so far is the Toro iMow. Unfortunately, the iMow isn't selling well; They only sold about 500 units last year and Friendly Robotics's US local company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year. They've already dropped the price 50% since it's introduction, so I don't want to pick one of these up and then have Toro discontinue the model. Has anyone had any experience with one of these things? Does it really work? Will my lawn look good afterwards? Will I spend 3 hours watching it to make sure it doesn't run over a neighbor's kid? Does it have little arms that sprout out to run the edger? Should I look for something else, resigned that my dreams of a little robot to mow my lawn are still years away?"

"Apparently, the way it works is you lay out some conductive wire along the perimeter of your lawn, and let the iMow loose. It first mows the perimeter, and then it zig-zags through the inside until it completes your lawn. It looks a little random in action-- kind of like a teenager half-heartedly mowing the lawn after he's been told 5 times to, 'Do it already!'

After a little searching on Google, I learned a little about the mower. Apparently Toro rebrands the Robomower made by Friendly Robotics. There are some mpegs of the mower in action on their site. The movies are pretty funny to watch -- check out the "Handling a Tree". Unfortunately, the robot doesn't seem to be very efficient and there are no good shots of what the lawn looks like afterwards. There should also be a movie showing what the neighbors think when they see this thing in action."

Comments

better mower

[MonaLisa]

Why not just use one of these instead?

http://www.smithandhawken.com/jhtml/site/catalog /P roduct.jhtml?PRODID=118&CATID=72&index=1

Zero emissions, mulching, no batteries or
electronics to break, and you get exercise
while mowing the lawn!

Build your own replacment battery pack

[PBCODER]

Even better build 2 replacment battery packs and spend the 20 to 30 dollars at HarborFrieght for a solar battery charger.
Look online at major electronics sites for NiMH battries. Honestly, If you post the specs for the existing battery pack, there are enough knowledgable people here to tell you excactly how to build a replacment battery pack and an appropriate charger.

Or contact me at pbcoder@(removethespamblock).prodigy(removethespam block).net
and I will help you with finding the right components. You really should be charging this with solar or wind or both else your wasting your environmental concern effort.

Lawn alternatives?

[Strange Ranger]

Doesn't anyone else think lawns are just a bit silly? What's wrong with forest floor? Plant some nice big shade trees, don't rake the leaves, have a wild flower spot, some herbs and veggies.. whatever, all done, and your only emission is oxygen.

Our relatively new home has made me feel like a grass farmer all summer. What an ass I feel like spending hours upon hours farming the perfect turf.. with NO CROP. We are buying 8 large locally indigenous trees this fall and roto-tilling much of the back yard. The goal is to have an attractive semi-wild looking area that is really a food and flower producing garden, and where it isn't, it'll just be good old forest floor. I will feel a lot better about watering that.