(Courtesy: Consumer Reports)
I saw my first lawn mower in the 1950s. It was a basic gas-powered model with a pull cord starter. As far as I’m concerned, the lawn mower has not changed much since the 1950s.
We’ve seen a whole lot of things go through dramatic changes from the automobile to consumer electronics products like watch-phones. One would think that the lawn mower stayed pretty much what it was.
Well, just like everything else the lawn mower has been experiencing dramatic innovations, too. Here are some that are now offered in the market that you might be aware of.
At first glance, the Fiskars momentum lawn mower looks like a typical no-gas push machine that works on the strength of the person who is pushing it. Well, it’s actually a whole lot more.
For example, it includes such innovative features as StaySharp™ that makes it unnecessary to sharpen the blade, InertiaDrive™ technology that provides twice the cutting power of a standard reel mower, VersaCut™ height adjustment for a clean cut, forward reel position for really, really close side edging and mess-free grass discharge, and it is specifically designed to adjust and maneuver easily. All of these innovative features assist this lawn mower to be 40 percent easier to push than the common no-engine, reel mower.
(Courtesy: diygokarts.com)
There’s a new high tech riding lawn mower from Wolf-Garten, GmbH & Company, a German gardening supply firm. Called the Zero, it is actually an altered DaimlerChrysler Smart commuter car, which is sold in Europe and Japan.
It is said that the conversion from car to lawn mower required only modest modifications to the mechanics or the thermoplastic-over-steel frame body. In fact, the designers found the front end ideal for mowing. The machine was already equipped with features that minimize emissions including a three-way catalytic converter, three-cylinder, rear-mounted, 599cc SUPREX supercharged engine. The car can be ordered with either a gasoline or diesel engine that need little or no modifications. The standard transmission with very low first gear is also mowing-ready without alterations. The Smart car is already equipped with a sophisticated electronic-stability system, which provides great traction on wet grass.
The Zero includes lasers instead of cutting blades. Grass is sliced into tiny particles that are dried by a jet of air and then dispersed onto the lawn. The laser assures that the lawn mower is quieter than more conventional grass-cutting machines.
In addition, the Smart car has Internet capability. So you can do Internet-related commands out on the lawn.
(Courtesy: Honda Lawn Parts)
Honda has come up with a new lawn-mowing robot called Miimo. Controls, timers and real-time sensors guide the machine within a perimeter wire that is underground or buried in the grass.
Miimo cuts in a random or linear pattern or in a mix of the two. It includes a “yaw” sensor that enables it to self-adjust its cutting path to assure that it gets to all areas of the lawn.
The robotic lawn mower features a blade fan that pulls the grass upright as they are cut resulting in a great finish and allowing a consistent distribution of the clippings back onto the lawn.
A lithium-ion battery powers the robot and it is self-charging. As it operates Miimo constantly monitors the battery and returns to a docking station when it needs charging.
