Massachusetts-Based Company Launching Robot Lawnmower

BOSTON (CBS) - We know, we know, a nasty cold snap is upon us, but let's think warmer thoughts of spring, and the great American tradition of lawn mowing.

Not something you love to do? Well today, Bedford based iRobot unveiled what it thinks is the solution. "What Roomba did for vacuuming, the Terra does for mowing. You drive it around the lawn, and it learns the lawn," says Colin Angle, one of iRobot's founders.

Wednesday marked the unveiling of iRobot's latest home helper, the next generation of robotic lawn mower. "It's safe and easy, and you'll never have to mow again," Angle says.
Ten years in the making at iRobot's Bedford HQ, the Terra is the natural successor to iRobot's Roomba vacuum. But this one is even more high tech.

How does it work? You place a series of ultra wide band beacons discretely around the edge of your lawn. Then, the first time you run the mower, you use a joy stick to drive it around the lawn's perimeter and around any obstacles, like flower gardens.

"And the software does the rest," Angle says. It "maps" your lawn. From then on, you use a phone app. "You push 'mow' and that's what the robot does," according to Angle.

The mapping is the innovation here. Other robotic mowers on the market require you to bury a wire around the edge of your lawn. The Terra eliminates that.

The mower also automatically docks when it's time to recharge the batteries. And it's extremely quiet. "You can even mow at night without getting a phone call from the neighbors," says Angle.

The price tag? "We haven't announced the price yet, but it's competitive with other autonomous robot mowers," he says.

That means the Terra could cost anywhere from $1000 to $3000. They won't be available in the states until next year, except for beta testing.