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(Credit: RoboLabs)

With yet another autonomous lawnmower rolling out this year, manual mowing looks to be going the way of the antique gershunters coupling hook and iron dibber (warning: photos of old farming tools contained in this link may give you nightmares).

The latest entrant to the field of mowers that let you read a novel while your lawn tidies itself up is the SmartMow by RoboLabs. A kind of Roomba for lawns, the robo-mower moves in a circular pattern within an installed perimeter wire to cut the grass. As an anti-theft measure, you need to activate the device with a security key.

The SmartMow, which runs on a lithium ion battery, measures approximately 21 inches by 27 inches by 8 inches and weighs 17 pounds. It can cover about 3,230 square feet (operating for two to three hours) on one four-hour charge and can tackle slopes up to 30 degrees.

But the SmartMow doesn't totally let you off the hook when it comes to garden labor. Just as iRobot suggests you clear your carpets and floors of excess debris before starting up the Roomba or Scooba, RoboLabs recommends clearing your yard of any sticks and debris the gadget may run over.

The mower ships in March for $999.99, with RoboLabs currently offering 25 percent off on preorders.

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'Robomow' celebrates St. George's Day

Husqvarna plans to show off a solar-powered version of its robotic lawnmower this weekend at the Green Industry and Equipment Expo 2008.

The Stockholm, Sweden-based company originally announced the robot last spring in Europe. This will be its U.S. debut. And what better place to tout a new robotic lawnmower than at a green expo in Kentucky, a state famous for its grass?

Like its original robotic lawnmower, Husqvarna's Automower Solar Hybrid is capable of autonomously maintaining a property of up to a half acre and runs on a rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery.

(Credit: Husqvarna)

The 22-pound robot works from a perimeter set with a wire that is slightly buried or staked in place below the grass-cutting level.

If the robot is set to mow during daylight--and honestly, how many people mow at night?--the Solar Hybrid version can draw on solar power while it does its job, extending the time between recharges.

Like the original Husqvarna Automower, the Solar Hybrid version has built-in safety features. The robot automatically shuts off its blades if the mower is lifted, can be locked, has an alarm to deter theft, and uses sensors to work around large objects such as lawn furniture.

Are people going to shell out the cash for a robotic lawnmower given the state of the economy?

Considering how expensive lawn services or gasoline for a regular mower can be, the robot might actually be the more frugal option over the long run. We'll have to wait and see once Husqvarna reveals the price. The original Automower sells for about $2,000.

(Credit: Mower Magic)

If BattleBots were mashed up with Roombas and rumbled in the backyard, it might resemble the hotly competitive landscape of today's robotic lawnmowers. Robo-mowers like the LawnBott and Auto Mower are always searching for new gimmicks to distinguish themselves, such as going hybrid with solar energy.

But the "Robomow" is taking a different tack altogether, introducing a limited edition that celebrates England's St. George's Day. The custom mower, which bears the St. George's Day cross on its hull, has been named "Sir Cut Alot, Mower of the Roundtable," according to U.K.-based Pocket-lint.

Basically a RL1000 model that has been on the market for some time, this commemorative Robomow can last for 3 hours on a charge and cover more than 6,500 square feet. Among other features are a docking station, rain sensor, high-speed mulching system, and perhaps most important, a theft guard--because some people have no shame.

Last year's model hard at work

(Credit: Husqvarna)

Sure, your neighbor may have already put in his order for the next year's hybrid coupe, but what's he using to mow the lawn? Now you can scoff at his old pollution machine while you roll out your shiny new solar-powered model--and best of all, you can watch it do its thing while sipping a martini on the deck.

Not only does the "Automower Solar Hybrid" combine solar energy and electricity while navigating itself around the perimeter, according to Sweden's Husqvarna, but it's also 90 percent recyclable and has no exhaust emissions. The company is no stranger to robo-mower business, which has already seen competition from the "LawnBott" and other automated clippers: It introduced its previous model just last summer, touting its environmentally friendly features then as well.

Between this and "Falco" robo-raptor to keep away the crows, lawn care may soon become a spectator sport.

(Credit: Evatech)

Now this the kind of competition we like to see, resulting in technology that's truly useful--like lawnmowers.

First we saw the "Lawnbott," then the "Auto Mower," and now we have the "GOAT" from Evatech. This mowing monster is strong enough "to pull a fertilizer spreader, climb 45-degree inclines, or even operate as a snowplow," Gizmag says.

But what truly distinguishes the GOAT--which stands for "Go All Terrain"--is its power source: a hybrid motor that runs on both gasoline and electricity. (We also like the remote, which looks just like the kind we use on the RC cars at RadioShack.) If all this still doesn't provide enough grass-wasting power for you, don't despair. Evatech has an even bigger model with tank treads for a mere $11,999.

Teenagers, persuade your parents to buy this lawnmower and you can get your weekend afternoons back. The LawnBott seems to have some competition.

The Auto Mower from Husqvarna eliminates noise, hassle and is environmentally more friendly than your average gas-powered lawnmower.

(Credit: Husqvarna Auto Mower)

It works similarly to the Roomba robot vacuum in that it self-charges at a docking station, navigates on its own and can be set to run on schedule. You shallowly bury a boundary wire around the general perimeter of your lawn and any gardens to let the machine know its limits. It can handle inclines, rain and simply reverses itself when it bumps into things like trees.

While the $2,000 sticker might present some shock, compare it with the fuel costs your average $200 to $400 mower sucks up or the fees of a landscaping service. The Auto Mower runs on a rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery that can mow for about four to six hours between charges.

Since it's quiet, you can set the Auto Mower to run at night. In fact, the company says it only needs to be set up once at the beginning of the season and then can be left on its own to mow and charge. Safety sensors stop the blades--which only spin while the machine is in motion--when the machine is lifted off the ground.

But the Auto Mower isn't yet widely available. Only a few stores in the U.S. currently sell it, and one of them is a computer store.

The next frontier in technology may be your lawn. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, but we're definitely seeing more products aimed at helping modern suburbanites be the envy of the Joneses and everyone else in the 'hood.

(Credit: Flymo)

Just a few days ago we wrote of the "Droplet Electric Mower/Mulcher"--which, despite its painfully utilitarian name, sports a beautiful design created by Australian artist Ashley Marsh-Croft. Now, according to EcoGeek, a U.K. company named Flymo has created a line of hovering lawnmowers.

The electric Flymo Turbo is made with a lightweight design that "floats on a cushion of air and cuts easily in any direction." But it's not yet available in the United States--so for now we'll have to put up with the lousy job by the kid up the street. (Just kidding, Jimmy.)

Why can't every dull domestic task involve a ridiculously cute appliance like this one?

I would actually look forward to pulling on the gardening gloves and clogs if I had this shiny white toy to play with. I mean, it's an electric lawnmower-slash-mulcher shaped like a bubble. With neon green accents! Sigh.

(Credit: Productdose.com)

Alas, the Droplet Electric Mower/Mulcher is but a prototype created by Australian designer Ashley Marsh-Croft. Ash-Design.com says the Droplet is designed with small spaces in mind and meant to improve the gardening experience. Check aaaand check. I'm sold. Can they just please make it now?

To be fair, despite the promise of looking fabulous while mowing the lawn, it's probably not the type of thing you can take into Sears for repair.

(Thanks to Productdose.com for pointing to it.)