The robot lawnmower: 30 years of innovation
Cut the cake, blow out the candles: the robot lawnmower is celebrating its 30th anniversary in France. Since the invention of the famous Husqvarna Solar Mower, a lot of water has passed under the bridge. Here’s a look back at three decades of technological change.
The story began in 1969 with the launch of the MowBot in the United States. This first robot mower model was certainly plump - the baby weighed 57 kg - but it was already battery-powered and could mow up to 280 sqm. Unfortunately, the French market would never get to see it. It wasn’t until 1995 that a robot would make its debut in France. Powered by solar panels, the Solar Mower marked a breakthrough in the way lawn care was conceived.
And the machine would see repeated upgrades. In 2012, Bosch introduced the Indego robot. The machine mapped the lawn to mow it in parallel strips. Mowing got better. Since then, there have been other significant advances in mowers: connectivity, obstacle and GPS navigation systems. Some recent models even operate without a boundary wire, thanks to precise satellite positioning.
Constantly growing popularity
These innovations have ended up winning over consumers weary of the Saturday mowing ritual. The market for robot mowers has grown at a steady pace. In 2021, the size of the global robot mower market was estimated 1.5 billion dollars, expected to rise to 3.9 billion dollars by 2027. In France alone, almost 100,000 units were sold in 2023, compared with just 30,000 in 2017. “We have also seen the arrival of new brands and robots that are more affordable. This buoyant market is enjoying double-digit growth, but still needs to be extended to a wider public. And that’s precisely our role, as the leading gardening brand, to communicate with as many people as possible,” explains Julie Hoang, marketing director at Gardena.
Innovations, such as boundary wire-free models, are removing the last remaining obstacles. Connected and intuitive, the robots are appealing to an ever-wider audience, from owners of small gardens to local authorities. The diversity of the range reflects this trend: from 250 to several thousand square metres, there's a model to suit every need.
With the launch of the "Smart Sileno Free" range in 2025, Gardena is taking a new step forward. These wireless, fully-connected robots incorporate advanced technologies such as "Trim-to- Edge", which mows lawns up to 1cm of the edge thanks to a double blade disc. "We've taken the time to perfect our all-round wireless technology to produce a reliable robot that's easy to install," explains Julie Hoang. Gardena is also banking on decision aids and tutorials to better guide consumers.
In the space of 30 years, the robot lawnmower has gone from being a technological curiosity to a must-have for garden maintenance. And there's every reason to believe that the coming decades will be full of even more innovations.
And now AI?
The integration of artificial intelligence is opening up new horizons for these mowers, especially as the machines can connect more easily to Wi-Fi, at least in small gardens. Equipped with a camera or a satellite connection, robots are now capable of mapping gardens precisely, adapting their behaviour to weather conditions or taking account of specific constraints such as biodiversity. "The future of robotic mowing looks very exciting!" concludes Julie Hoang.