It's easy to think of robot lawn mowers as robotic vacuums for grass, but Sunseeker wants you to think of them as much, much more important than that.I had the opportunity to see the company's upcoming 2027 robomower lineup at IFA 2026, not to mention learn that CEO Terry Ma has grand ambitions beyond trimming your backyard.Its new large-lawn (nearly 32,300 sq.
ft.) S7 LiDAR Ultra AWD 3000 (pictured above) and mid-size (family house) S5 LiDAR Ultra Pro AWD 1800 both have 360-degree LiDAR that not only helps them cut your lawn while avoiding animals, but creates an "industry-first" 3D semantic map that illustrates the features of your garden.The robot mowers not only understand the boundaries, but key features.That reduces the need to remap the garden or intervene, taking the hard work out of maintaining your smart home.
Close The S3, meant for small lawns, uses solid-state LiDAR but shares the software stack.All the mowers have all-wheel drive to help navigate tricky spaces, cut right to the edge, and climb slopes at up to a 39-degree angle.They recognize over 360 obstacle types and can work at night, so you don't have to worry about dodging your mower or the safety risks for the family cat.
The S7 even has the option of a robotic arm you attach to a base.The company says it's initially for clearing obstacles up to 4.4lbs, but tells that it's effectively part of an expansion system.Your robot mower could eventually add nutrients or water plants, taking care of most of your needs in one go where competitors will still be limited.
The processor inside is capable of 10 TOPS (trillion operations per second) for AI, which Sunseeker believes is enough for your landscaping tasks.The S3, S5, and S7 are all expected to arrive in the U.S.and other markets in February 2027, or just ahead of spring.
Pricing isn't official, but the flagship S7 is expected to cost €2,500 (about $2,900) in Europe, while the robotic arm will go for an additional €500 ($580).If you prefer to clear the lawn yourself, then, you'll likely save money.Robot gardening: As big as self-driving cars? The CEO has a vision for your green space As relatively advanced as the new robot lawn mowers might be, Ma sees them as just one step in a much larger strategy.
In an interview with , the CEO says he wants Sunseeker products to maintain "every green space" and likens their potential to self-driving cars — that is, "billions" of robots that could prove essential.Ma even sees room to one-up autonomous vehicles, as there are more human-shaped green areas than there are roads.There's also far less regulation that might limit robotic gardeners, the executive adds.
He anticipates significant progress in the next one to three years.If there are any challenges, they're more likely to come from businesses.While homeowners understand the value of a robot lawn mower relatively quickly, Ma believes professional landscapers need "education." Related My Summer With a Robot Lawn Mower: The Future is Here, and It's Frustrating Mow money, mow problems.
Posts 6 By Andrew Martonik This won't put pro gardeners out of work, he claims.Instead, it theoretically frees them from the drudgery of mowing to focus on the finer points of a garden, like flowers and trees.That could lead to prettier gardens and allow landscapers to take on more homes than they can today.
Ma doesn't, however, foresee expansion beyond gardening.While a concept video at IFA shows drones flying robot mowers into fields, the company chief is willing to leave drone development (and other categories) to companies more experienced in those fields.Sunseeker wants to tackle those aspects where other companies fall short, Ma explains.
In other words: while you might see robots taking care of fields, public gardens, and other large spaces, you shouldn't anticipate a Samsung-style mega-corporation whose technology reaches into every corner of your life.This is a brand with a singular (if vast) mission.
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