How robot mower technology works

How Robot Mower Navigation Works

Every robot mower has to answer two questions: where am I, and where must I not go? The different ways of answering them explain everything…

RTK Robot Mowers Explained

Satellite positioning corrected to a few centimetres — by a network service, or by a base station on your property.

LiDAR Robot Mowers Explained

A laser scanner that maps the garden in real time — independent of satellites, and unbothered by the tree cover that stops RTK.

Vision-Based Robot Mowers Explained

Cameras that recognise the lawn edge and the hedgehog on it. What visual navigation does well, and what light does to it.

Corrected satellite positioning; correction may come from a local base or network service, and performance depends on reception and implementation.

Laser ranging that may support mapping, localisation or obstacle detection; sensor design and role vary by model.

Cameras may support boundary or obstacle detection; capabilities vary with the model and conditions.

No perimeter cable is required; the way boundaries are created and maintained varies by model.

A perimeter cable defines the boundary without relying on satellite reception; installation and navigation still vary by model.