Honda is bringing its robot lawn mowers to backyards in the United States starting in June 2017. Honda introduced two Miimo robot lawn mowers that will be available at select dealerships nationwide, excluding California.
Honda is bringing its robot lawn mowers to backyards in the United States starting in June 2017. Honda introduced two Miimo robot lawn mowers that will be available at select Honda Power Equipment dealerships nationwide, excluding California.
The Miimo HRM 310 robot lawn mower ($2,499) can mow for up to 30 minutes on a single charge. It will recharge in 30 minutes and is designed for areas up a half acre. The Miimo HRM 520 robot lawn mower ($2,799) lasts a bit longer (60 minutes), takes an hour to charge and is designed for areas up to 0.75 acres. Battery life and cutting area are the main differences between the two models.
Unfortunately, both Miimo robot lawn mowers require the boundary wire to be installed around the perimeter of the area they’ll be mowing. Honda says it’ll install the boundary wire for its customers, taking the cumbersome setup process of its customers hands at least.
The Miimo robot lawn mowers offer these three mow options:
- Random – most effective for mowing large, open areas
- Directional – recommended for narrow areas
- Mixed – a combination of the Random and Directional pattern
Sensors keep the Miimo robot lawn mowers moving if it bumps into objects, and if lifted, an alarm will sound and it will shut down. A PIN code set by the user will then be required to restart the mower.
Both Miimo models will head back to the docking station when the battery is running low. The Miimo robot lawn mowers feature a cutting width of 8.7 inches with a height range of 0.8 to 2.4 inches.
Here’s a closer look at the Miimo 310 and Miimo 520 robot lawn mowers:
Will Honda’s Miimo Propel US Robot Lawn Mower Market?
Honda’s Miimo robot lawn mowers are entering the US for the first time, but the brand originally launched in Europe in 2013. Robot lawn mowers are much more popular in Europe than the US.
A recent report from Beige Market Intelligence projected the robot lawn mower market would hit $2 billion by 2021, with a compound annual growth rate of 4 percent between 2016 and 2021. Europe accounted for the largest market share of more than 60 percent in 2015, according to report. Interestingly, Europe accounts for only about 20 percent of the $38 billion global lawn mower market, whereas the US accounts for about two-thirds of the market share at $25.2 billion.
Honda’s Asimo robot helped introduce the Miimo robot lawn mower in Europe in 2013. (Credit: Honda)
There are a few challenges robot lawn mowers still have, including price, efficiency and the boundary wire. But clearly there’s faith robot lawn mowers will take off in the US, and maybe Miimo will help the market along.
Here’s a video of the Honda Miimo 300 robot lawn mower in action in Europe. Expect the US models to be very similar.
