In January, Roomba maker iRobot announced its next autonomous chore-doing robot: a lawnmower called Terra. Autonomous lawnmowers aren’t exactly new, but Terra is different. Unlike most robot lawnmowers, it uses wireless beacons to understand what your yard looks like rather than relying on a long, cumbersome wire that’s around the edges of your lawn. Those beacons may be a seemingly simple way to define a yard for the Terra, but they could be more complex than they appear. One support article says the Terra should be in sight range of three beacons “at all times” to best function, and another article says the number of beacons needed “depends on the complexity of the yard.”
iRobot wouldn’t say how many beacons are required for an average lawn. Unlike some other robot lawnmowers, the Terra user manual says the Terra and its beacons must be installed by a professional so the robot can properly mow your yard. This won’t cost more at launch, though; iRobot says it will initially provide the installation and a training session to customers. After the Terra is done mowing, the user manual says it will return to a charging base. iRobot tells The Verge the base will plug into a standard electrical outlet. It’ll also return if the battery runs low, and continue mowing from where it left off once the battery’s charged again.
Credits:
https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/30/20839810/irobot-terra-autonomous-lawnmower-roomba-robot-fcc-beta-release-date-2020
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