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More and more freedom in the private garden
Belgians are wedded to their robotic mowers. This was previously shown in a nationwide survey conducted by manufacturer Husqvarna by research firm iVOX. Thus, in 2020, one in ten Belgians was already a proud owner; of the remaining 20% were considering buying one in the near future. This could then be a very intelligent one, Husqvarna's product specialists believe. A development that green professionals can also benefit from.
With the launch of the very first robotic mower - the Solar Mower - Husqvarna created a completely new product category back in 1995. It has since developed into a modern range of devices for professional and private use, defining new standards time and again. One of the latest technological developments, the EPOS system or Exact Positioning Operating System, revolutionised professional landscaping as recently as 2020. And it will soon also make its mark in private lawn maintenance, announces the Swedish manufacturing company.
Since this year, Husq-varna Automower® owners can use the new AIM technology. AIM stands for Automower® Intelligent Mapping and provides a virtual map of the lawn. This allows different zones to be defined via the accompanying smartphone app, so that not only can mowing and non-mowing zones be distinguished from each other, but also, for example, different mowing schedules and heights can be set. This allows garden owners to let the grass and wildflowers grow in certain zones to promote biodiversity or to adjust the mowing schedule when replanting, sowing new grass or for shaded parts of the lawn that need to be mowed less often.
Maintaining a multi-zone garden, in other words, no longer needs to put off consumers, giving garden contractors and designers more freedom when laying out or redesigning. At the same time, as a green space professional, you need to take on fewer and fewer mowing tasks and can use the freed-up time for more lucrative work.
Although AIM technology allows for virtual demarcation of different zones in the garden, robotic mowers for private use do currently still rely on a perimeter wire. However, this too will soon change. Next year, Husqvarna will launch a brand new private robotic mower with EPOS technology. This will offer even more flexibility in design and construction as well as maintenance and renovation.
“Perimeter wires are prone to damage and curtail freedom in construction and maintenance,” states Eric Norling, director of robotics at Husqvarna. “That's why we launched the professional robotic mower with EPOS technology in 2020. From next year, that satellite technology will also be available to private consumers.”
According to system test engineer Abdulrahman Kayali, why this extension is only coming three years later is a matter of complexity. “A private garden is difficult to compare with a sports ground. There is much more variation, less open space, more obstacles... If you want to avoid your robotic lawnmower ending up in your flower bed, you need a much higher degree of precision. That's about centimetres. The private garden places much higher demands on satellite technology in that respect.”
Currently, Husqvarna is in full testing phase to assess the precision of the technology and optimise the user interface. In addition, the new robotic mower will also deliver improved performance in terms of object avoidance
and accessibility.
AIM technology is already available today on the 405X, 415X and 435X AWD, and will be available on all new X-line models in the coming years. The launch of the new Automower® with EPOS technology is scheduled for 2023. But the further future is also firmly in the Swedish manufacturer's sights. “The robotic mower will continue to evolve. Thanks to advanced sensors, cameras and new technologies, these devices will work ever more autonomously, offering personalised service and advice on all aspects of the garden as a whole,” concludes innovation director Patrick Jägenstadt.
