Toadi Lawn Robot Covers a Lot of Ground
Automated mowing isn’t new to the industry. Well-known brands like Husqvarna, Stihl, and Worx have made some pretty big strides in robotic mowing over the last few years. They all employ the same basic design that revolves around buried boundary lines, guide wires, and a GPS system that directs the Roomba-sized mowers. They work pretty regularly throughout the week, pinging around the yard to keep the grass constantly trimmed up.
However, there’s a new company trying to break into the automowing landscape, and it looks they’re taking a slightly different approach to the market as a whole. The Toadi Lawn Robot not only focuses on camera-based AI to self-drive the mower around the yard – without having to bury perimeter wires – but the company also has a big focus on sustainability in manufacturing.
How Does the Toadi Lawn Robot Work?
The Toadi Lawn Robot does away with perimeter cables, GPS technology, and algorithms that ping the mower around the yard mowing over the same spots. Instead, Toadie uses cameras and self-driving technology to mow your yard. It mows in straight lines, moving around obstacles rather than “bouncing” off of them.
As part of the installation process, you’ll lead the Toadi Lawn Robot around your yard, defining the areas you want to be mowed and the areas you don’t. The robot will create a map that it will use in the future to navigate the terrain.
Complex yards won’t present a problem for the mower. Toadi will mow up to the edge of your lawn without getting into areas like gardens and flower beds.
Because the Toadi Lawn Robot uses cameras and AI to navigate through its work, it can recognize both moving and stationary obstacles. That means that, when it sees sprinklers, toys, and even your children and pets, it changes its trajectory to mow around them.
Another added benefit of this unique operation is that the Toadie doubles as a lawn “watchdog.” When it sees something, it says something…by way of sending a picture to your phone. Did the kids leave the toys in the yard? Is the utility man in the backyard? Are deer marauding your garden at night? Is someone casing the joint? The Toadi lets you know what’s happening in your yard.
Toadi Features
The Toadi Lawn Robot features a brushless motor and lithium-ion batteries that the company expects to maintain better than 70% original capacity after 6 years of use. Four titanium-coated blades keep your lawn trimmed up.
Toadi can tackle work during day or night, rain or shine. It comes with 4K cameras equipped with night vision so that it can always see what it’s doing. The body features a nano-coating to provide protection from the elements. Meanwhile, all-terrain offroad tires grip the yard in wet and dry conditions.
One of the main focuses of the Toadie brand revolves around the company’s drive for sustainability. They claim that they use 81% sustainable materials in the production of the robot (the housing of uses 3D-printed materials made from cornstarch).
But, the company notes that, in their push to expedite the transition to a sustainable world, their product helps to reduce pollution, reduce unfair working conditions, and frees up people to pursue consciousness and spiritual growth. You can read more about Toadi’s mission in their stated Master Plan .
Pricing
For the time being, the Toadi Lawn Robot is available through a Kickstarter campaign which has launched this month. For those not familiar with this crowdfunding platform, the premise revolves around paying for your product upfront, subsidizing the company’s upfront manufacturing costs. The benefit is that the company passes on to you, their backer, some deep discounts on the product.
In this case, the Toadi Lawn Robot comes in two varieties, each with three color options. The standard model is available for $2,260. The Toadi Pro, which can tackle bigger slopes and larger mowing and guard areas, runs for $2,890 . Both models come with a connector-free charging station.
They expect to deliver their products starting in October and November 2020. For more information about the Toadi Lawn Robots, check them out at www.toadi.com .
Toadi Self-Driving Lawn Robot Specs
- Model: Toadi
- Mow Area: 0.6 acres
- Guard Area: 1.8 acres
- Slope: 35%
- Sound Level: <50 dBA
- Price: $2,260
- Model: Toadi Pro
- Mow Area: 1.2 acres
- Guard Area: 3.6 acres
- Slope: 45%
- Sound Level: <50 dBA
- Price: $2,890
