The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has just issued iRobot a waiver for its Roomba robot lawn mower, which allows the company to manufacture and sell the gadget. FCC's green light for the high-tech device was required as underground wireless beacons are used to prevent the smart lawnmower from rolling into a neighbor's front yard or a street full of vehicles and pedestrians.
However, iRobot ran into a rough patch. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory claimed that the Roomba's electrical transmissions would interfere with telescopes, due to radio inferference. However, the FCC did not agree.
It cited that iRobot had designed built-in limits for the wireless technology. Another reason is that the robot lawn mowers would only be used in residential areas. Many people are considering upgrading their lawn mowers to robot mowers. If you happen to be one of them, bestoftools.com reviewed the different brands of these mowers to give you a better idea of which one is for you.
In its FCC filing, iRobot noted that the beacons would only be used during the mowing season. Furthermore, they would only communicate with the mower after their set-up, according to PC Mag.
The gadget's consumers would only need four to nine stakes. In addition, they are only 2-feet (.6 meters) tall.
iRobot's vision is a fleet of smart lawnmowers that are safer and "greener" than today's models. That is because they function without gasoline.
Other robotic mowers are already on the market. However, the main drawbacks are that they require a perimeter wire and also a charging station, which can be time-consuming, according to Newsy.
The target market of the robot lawn mower includes disabled and elderly homeowners who need to spruce up their properties. It also eliminates the need for people to spend weekend afternoons pushing a heavy piece of equipment back and forth across their lawns while under the blazing sun. Let a machine do it.
Here is a video of a robotic lawnmower already on the market:
