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We dug up more about Roomba maker iRobot’s first autonomous lawnmower

In January, Roomba maker iRobot announced its next autonomous chore-doing robot: a lawnmower called Terra. Autonomous lawnmowers aren’t exactly new, but Terra is different. Unlike most robot lawnmowers, it uses wireless beacons to understand what your yard looks like rather than relying on a long, cumbersome wire that’s around the edges of your lawn.

Last we heard, the Terra was in beta. Now, iRobot tells The Verge that the beta is “progressing well,” and it expects to begin selling the Terra in the US in 2020. (iRobot wouldn’t reveal pricing.) After digging through Federal Communications Commission filings and some Terra support articles on iRobot’s website and fact-checking a few things with iRobot, it’s easier to understand how it might work.

Keep in mind these details may not be final. The user manual and support articles we dug up might be placeholders, or they might have just been for the beta.

Those beacons may be a seemingly simple way to define a yard for the Terra, but they could be more complex than they appear. One support article says the Terra should be in sight range of three beacons “at all times” to best function, and another article says the number of beacons needed “depends on the complexity of the yard.” iRobot wouldn’t say how many beacons are required for an average lawn.

Unlike some other robot lawnmowers, the Terra user manual says the Terra and its beacons must be installed by a professional so the robot can properly mow your yard. 

This won’t cost more at launch, though; iRobot says it will initially provide the installation and a training session to customers. Some Terra models will have a Bluetooth remote that allows users to drive the twin-bladed robot, iRobot confirms. The FCC filings show that the remote connects via Bluetooth, and TechCrunch says you can stash it inside the top of the robot, next to the other controls. The FCC filings indicate the likely spot for the remote and a switch that puts the lawnmower into “Remote Control” mode.

I hope you liked this post and as always have a chilled day from the viking.