CRISTIAN, WHO LIVES in Middlebury, kneels next to his faithful Anthbot Genie 3000 robotic lawnmower, which he has owned for two months and has loved the results.
Independent photo/Paige Hescock

While many people are familiar with the Roomba—the robot vacuum cleaner—robotic lawnmowers might be a foreign piece of technology for them. However, this isn’t the case for the locals in Sweden as this type of mower is a common appliance.

Cristian, a former native of Sweden who has lived in Middlebury since ‘97, first noticed this during one of his visits back roughly 10 years ago. “I was completely stunned by the number of robotic lawnmowers people were using as they were practically everywhere,” he said during a recent interview.

Cristian has owned his Anthbot Genie 3000 robotic lawn mower for two months now, which costs about $1,000 and is an advanced upgrade to his lawncare routine. He owns the second-generation model, which has a GPS, utilizes AI-powered 3D mapping, and has 4-camera recognition technology, allowing for automatic and precise lawn mapping.

“Setting up the lawn mower was simple since I only had to walk around the perimeter of the yard to establish the two zones: east and west. As the lawn mower can detect the boundaries of the lawn, it effectively operates without any perimeter wires. I then use the ANTHBOT Genie app on my phone to pinpoint the location of the robot and to determine which zone it mows in as it only mows one at a time,” he explained.

Cristian finds many perks from using a robot lawn mower compared to a gas-powered one.

“I appreciate that it’s fully electric, so there’s no burning of gas and it’s very quiet. It also cuts the grass clippings so short that it’s not visible, but it still acts as a natural fertilizer for the lawn. So far, it’s been fairly low maintenance and only requires replacement of the blades sometimes. And due to the regularity of the mowing—half of the lawn every day— the lawn always looks tidy.”

Cristian also praises the intellect of the technology: “It returns to its charging place when it begins to rain outside and has strong obstacle avoidance as it steers clear of even a hose lying around.”

His primary reason for using a robotic lawn mower is how much time it saves.

“I don’t use mine just to save time for passive activities like watching TV. For me, it’s about reclaiming time for more stimulating or rewarding things, like working on projects or going for a run,” Cristian told the Independent. As he has two jobs and is constantly busy with house and yard work, having a robot mow his lawn for him gives Cristian one less thing to worry about and opens opportunities for him to work on other tasks around his property.

He receives interest daily from passersby, whether it is children finding pure entertainment from the robot or individuals simply inquiring about the mechanics of it. “I wouldn’t be surprised if, within the next decade, more people owned robotic lawnmowers,” he said. However, he understands that some people might assume he is “lazy” for having a robot do the work for him, but the reality is far from this.

Cristian can use his time more wisely and maximize the efficiency of his land. He also recognizes that this form of lawn mowing is not perfect for everyone. “Steep slopes, poor GPS reception (like under dense tree cover), or larger lawns can pose challenges. Many models are ideal for smaller properties—probably up to an acre or so,” he said.

Could this be something Vermonters see more of in the near future?

Cristian thinks such days are coming.  “While I believe people are often hesitant to change and can be stuck in their ways, I foresee more and more people adopting this type of technology — it’s only a matter of time.”

Note: Paige Hescock is a summer intern for the Addison Independent. A former grad of MUHS, she grew up in Shoreham and is now a rising junior at Hamilton College.