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IFA 2013 first look: RoboMow hands-on video

The idea of powerful robots with steel blades stalking the garden might strike fear into some, but green-fingered phone owners can take control of a new automated lawnmower using an app.

Called RoboMow and available for small, medium and large gardens, these robots – which can be programmed to cut lawns in much the same way as domestic robot vacuum cleaners – cost from €849 for RoboMow TC150 (for lawns up to 150 square metres) to the €1,949 RoboMow (up to 1800 square metres).

Its makers promise that it can work on any terrain, and cuts beyond its wheels, though it is necessary to peg a wire around the edges of the ‘mowing zone’; up to six zones can be created for RoboMow to work its way around. 

Read Recombu Digital’s guide to the Smart HomeIn our demo, we used an app on a iPad Mini to control a 63x46x21cm, 10kg RoboMow TC300, albeit on some fake indoor grass, and were able to send it in any direction by just moving a finger around a simple graphical representation of a lawn.

Touch a second area of the screen and RoboMow starts mowing as it moves. Press the Home buttons and it returns to its base to recharge. 

RoboMow connects to a smartphone or tablet over low-power Bluetooth, but there are much bigger plans to network it.

IFA 2013 first look: RoboMow hands-on videoIFA 2013 first look: RoboMow hands-on videoIFA 2013 first look: RoboMow hands-on video

“For now the app works as a manual control of the RoboMow but in future it will be on a network and accessible from anywhere,” says Gerome De Shutter, VP of sales at the Israel-based manufacturer.

“You’ll be able to control all of its functions from the app and operate it from anywhere.” 

In the UK, the RoboMow range is available from Mower Magic and Witt UK. 

IFA 2013 reporting, photos and video by Jamie Carter.

IFA 2013 first look: RoboMow hands-on videoIFA 2013 first look: RoboMow hands-on videoIFA 2013 first look: RoboMow hands-on video

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