Garden Robots: Autonomous All-Purpose Yard Robots About to Hit the Market
While autonomous lawn mowers are becoming increasingly common and slowly transitioning into the standard in the realm of smart lawn care, more and more robots are appearing on the horizon that can do much more than just mow the lawn. The new class of garden robots can perform various tasks in and around the garden. But what initially seems like a concept with a lot of wishful thinking is not so far from reality. Some manufacturers are already working intensively on such multifunctional outdoor robots. The first models are announced for this year and 2025. Let’s take a closer look at what’s coming our way and introduce some autonomous, mobile robots for the garden.
Robot lawn mowers were yesterday. In the world of tomorrow, fully autonomous lawn robots will work and take care of not only the lawn care but also leaves, weeds, snow in the winter, or can handle various other tasks thanks to robot arms. Thus, they are supposed to become constant companions and everyday helpers around the garden and outdoor area of a property. While the established robotic lawn mower manufacturer Husqvarna makes headlines with PR gimmicks like the video game “Doom”, which can be played on the small screen of some Automower models, startups are working on an entirely new generation of robots.
A modular or adaptive concept is often used to expand the range of functions. The robot can thus perform various tasks using different modules, which it can select and assemble independently. A module for lawn mowing can be used to take care of the lawn in spring and summer, and additional modules can serve the same robot as a leaf blower in autumn and a snow blower in winter. But what else should garden work robots be able to do in the future? Let’s take a look at the individual models.
Verdie: Autonomous AI Landscaping Robot for the Garden
Source: Verdie
Recently, a prototype of the autonomous robot Verdie was introduced. Verdie can autonomously perform various tasks in the garden and outdoor areas using an adaptive system and AI. Behind it is the robotics startup “Electric Sheep Robotics” from San Francisco. Verdie looks visually different from other garden robots. Inspired by movie robots like WALL-E or R2-D2, it only runs on two wheels attached to movable legs.
According to the manufacturer, it is fundamentally designed for all landscaping tasks and learns to handle various tools. In the introduction video, only two modules have been shown so far: a lawn trimmer for edging and a leaf blower. Further details are scarce so far. The manufacturer’s website also does not yet provide any information about the planned model. However, the Verdie landscaping robot is expected to be available as early as the second quarter of 2024.
Yarbo: Intelligent All-Rounder for Every Season
Source: Yarbo
The adaptive Yarbo yard robot from the eponymous US startup is one step closer to full market launch. A version with a snow blower module can already be ordered. The Yarbo itself resembles a kind of snow groomer. It is equipped with RTK technology for navigation, as well as radar sensors and cameras for obstacle detection. Yarbo emerged from a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign at the end of 2022, which raised around 3.5 million US dollars. In addition to the snow blower, two more modules are available for pre-order, which expand the Yarbo’s functionality as needed.
Both a lawn mower and a leaf blower module are expected to be available from May 2024. A total of six additional modules, such as for garden irrigation or sweeping, are already in the planning stages. Robot arms are also part of the package. The modules are to be stored and made accessible to the garden robot in a separate station.
Price-wise, the Yarbo starts at a proud USD 4,499 without any module and without a battery. The price of the pure robot, including battery and wireless charging station, is USD 7,337. The lawn mower module costs an additional USD 1,499. Equipped with this, according to the manufacturer, it can mow up to 1,200 m² per hour and 13,000 m² per day. This is more than double our current top model without perimeter wire, the Mammotion Luba 2.
» View Yarbo M1 robotic mower*
EEVE Willow X: Garden Robot with Arms
Source: EEVE
The Willow X (Pro) from the manufacturer EEVE will be the second series of autonomous outdoor-robots from the Belgian startup founded in 2017. It is expected to be released in 2025 with a starting price of approx. USD 4,500. Whether EEVE can actually meet this announcement, given previous unfulfilled promises, remains to be seen. However, the range of functions is impressive: thanks to robot arms and built-in AI, the Willow X garden robot is designed to take on various tasks in the garden.
In a YouTube concept video, it can not only handle a broom and dustpan, take out the trash, or water plants, but also collect fruits or nuts, plant vegetables, and even pour a cool beer for its owner. The possibilities seem endless. For essential tasks like lawn mowing or sweeping, the Willow X has own modules that it can use for these purposes.
Kobi: EU-funded AI Technology
Source: The Kobi Company
An older concept worth mentioning briefly is the Kobi. It comes from the startup “The Kobi Company” founded in 2016, which has received nearly USD 2.2 million in EU funding from the “Horizon2020” program for its industry-leading developments in AI. The Kobi garden robot is also modular – so it has different modules for different functions. A total of three modules were presented in a short concept video. Equipped with these, it can either mow the lawn, clear or blow snow, or blow away leaves.
Prices were expected to start at USD 4,000. Unfortunately, since its introduction, we have not been able to find any updates on this project – even the website no longer shows any information about the Kobi. We have contacted the manufacturer for more information.
FarmBot: The Vegetable Gardening Robot
Source: FarmBot
Admittedly not as autonomous or mobile, but still noteworthy in the field of garden robots, is the FarmBot. It is a raised-bed robot that is already available as an open-source kit and aims to revolutionize gardening. After assembly, it is supposed to fully automate the care of a vegetable bed until harvest, thus saving its owner a lot of work. Somewhat technical and probably with a certain, serious irony, the provider calls the whole thing “CNC Farming”.
Certainly not for everyone, but worth a look for tech enthusiasts. The German trade magazine c’t extensively tested the FarmBot in issue 10/2021 and reveals whether it proved itself in practical use. Similar concepts are not yet mass-market ready for consumers in the near future, but are already interesting for industry and agriculture in other scales.
Conclusion: Yard Robots – Future of Automatic Garden Care?
Currently, autonomous yard robots are still mostly in development, but some are close to market launch. This will make an entire new generation of adaptive robots available to consumers. According to manufacturers, in addition to yard care, various other tasks in the garden should be able to be taken over by robots in the future. These often include functions such as sweeping or leaf blowing, garden irrigation, snow clearing, or even collecting objects. However, with built-in AI and robot arms, the possibilities are theoretically endless. For example, the Willow X shows itself picking fruits or pouring beer. Whether this is more of a gimmick or if smart garden robots will actually arrive in our households faster than we think remains to be seen in the future.
Video: Outdoor-Robot Willow X at Work in the Garden
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Image: © Verdie
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