Andrew Morse of Belknap Landscape Co. in Gilford, N.H., compares operating a mower from a few decades ago to driving a tank. Paul Fraynd, co-owner of Sun Valley Landscaping in Omaha, Neb., jokes that the machines’ seats resembled those found in football stadiums. Stephen Crowell, director of Maui operations for SGS Hawaii in Maui and Kauai, comments on the extra... read more
How do you feel about robotic mowers? This is the question Penn State University students recently asked customers of Eichenlaub Inc., a full-service landscape firm based in Pittsburgh. Nearly 100 students took part in the field day hosted at Eichenlaub Inc.’s headquarters. The event included a live case study where students called and spoke directly with Eichenlaub Inc.’s customers to... read more
Husqvarna’s Automower, the company’s robotic mower, is now compatible with Amazon Alexa. The first version is available in English. “Our customers rightly expect Husqvarna products to be in the forefront and work with the mobile infrastructure and technical possibilities of today, giving them multiple and evermore convenient ways of interacting with our products,” said Sascha Menges, president of Husqvarna division.... read more
Robin Autopilot closed a $1 million round of financing—led by a mower manufacturer—to grow a nationwide network of robotic mowing franchises. MTD Products led the financing and was joined by several new and existing Robin investors, including Ken Murphy, former CEO of Mattress Firm. MTD, based in Valley City, Ohio, manufactures and distributes residential robotic mowers under its Cub Cadet,... read more
F. Robotics Acquisitions, the makers of Robomow, is now officially a subsidiary of MTD Products. The transaction, which closed on July 2, had been in the works since May. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. The merger will enable MTD to employ Robomow’s technology and line of robotic products under MTD’s brands in Europe and North America. Robomow... read more
Dallas-based lawn maintenance company Robin looks to the future with robotic mowers. While flipping through an issue of Wired, Justin Crandall came across an article about robotic lawn mowers. With a background in business startups and technology, he was intrigued by the concept and wanted in on the action. “We look at ourselves as a tech-forward company and want to... read more
