Forget the lawncare service. Get a robot to do your yardwork

I fully realize that there are millions of people looking out their windows right now at snow banks reaching as high as 12 feet and wondering if warm weather will ever truly return. It will – and it will be here before you know it.

Despite the record-breaking blizzard that hit the Northeast, we're less than three weeks before the official start of spring. And in some parts of the country, people are already prepping for yard work season.

Some folks love toiling away in the summer sun. If you'd prefer to spend your days at the beach, out and about or just inside savoring the air-conditioning, a robot lawnmower is an excellent way to reclaim your time.

Robot mowers have been on the market for several years in the U.S., but still represent just 5% or so over the overall lawnmower market. The story is a bit different in parts of Europe, however, where they are much more common.

That gap may be starting to close. Improvements in navigation and mapping technology are making the newest generation of robot mowers far easier to set up and more reliable to run — turning what was once a niche gadget into something closer to a practical household tool.

Manufacturers seem to think we're nearing a tipping point in America as the technology matures. At CES this year, there were nearly a dozen companies showing off robot mowers, each with a slightly different tech approach. Some use LiDAR to navigate the lawn. Some rely on satellite input. Others lean on AI.

It's a big leap from just a few years ago, when using a robot mower meant having to line your yard with guide wire (which the mower would inevitably chew up at some point, forcing you to go on a hard target search to find where the break was – then MacGyver a solution). Cameras made things a little easier, but the new crop of mowers is a significant leap ahead of their predecessors.

Leading the pack at the moment is Segway's Navimow X4 Series. This new mower from the company best known for its scooter line has learned from previous iterations and eliminates several of the headaches that were common with earlier robot mowers.

A field test

I gave the X4 a test run recently to see how it stacked up. While fresh grass in yards around my neighborhood is still as patchy as a 15-year old's first attempt at a beard, a recent bout of higher-than-average temperatures let weeds get an early start in 2026. That was enough to put the X4 through its paces.

The first thing to know about the X4? It's huge. While other robot mowers, like Segway's H2 or Worx's Landroid, are roughly 1.5 times the size of a standard robot vacuum, the X4 is almost three feet long and two feet wide. With that size comes a 17-inch cutting deck, however – nearly twice the span of other robot mowers. And the X4 has both an all-wheel drive system that lets it easily conquer slopes of up to 40 degrees in yards and a "zero-turn" ratio, which lets it turn on a dime without ripping up your lawn.

That last part is important. Other robot mowers I've tried have a habit of getting stuck, then trying to back out, which inevitably leads to divots in the turf. We tested the X4 two days after a drenching rain. The yard wasn't waterlogged, but some parts were soft. Despite that, the X4 didn't get stuck once and left the yard free of gouges and depressions.

All modern robot mowers have some similarities. Rather than the thick steel blades you find in push mowers, they cut with what are essentially a series of straight razor blades. Cutting is done frequently, daily even, rather than once a week. Think of it as the lawncare equivalent of shaving vs. cutting a week's worth of stubble. (Bonus: You don't have to worry about bagging or raking the cuttings, since they're so small.)

Safety, security and cost

The blades on the devices, which usually are small and spin in rapid succession, are tucked under the carriage, ensuring that if you happen to walk into the mower, the risk of injury is low. Virtually every robot mower on the market also has a detection system to prevent it from running into obstacles or pets. And if lifted, the mowers automatically shut down as an added safety feature. Most also offer a tracking feature, in case someone decides to try to walk off with it.

Pricing varies. The X4 starts at around $2,500, which is certainly more than a traditional lawnmower, but still less than a zero-turn riding mower. Mowers with fewer features can run under $1,000. It's a premium price, but you will regain several hours of your time (and not have to worry about sunburn).

Most robot mowers are shockingly quiet – think the sound of an electric vehicle compared to a gas engine. The X4, perhaps because of its size, is a bit noisier than others, but still much quieter than traditional mowers.

The areas these robots cover vary by manufacturer. The Navimow X4 can take care of up to 1.5 acres, depending on the model you choose. And unlike some mowers, which follow a random pattern, it cuts the grass in parallel stripes – or, if you'd prefer, you can program it to mow in a checkerboard pattern.

Having a robot mower won't get you completely out of doing summer yardwork. You'll still need to edge along sidewalks and fences, and there's not (for now) a robot that can handle weeding, but if you're looking to enjoy more of your weekends or just avoid the brutal heat we've faced for the past few summers, it's a technology (and an investment) worth considering.