There are some products that are on the verge of great, but miss the mark somehow. I feel the new ROBOCUT mower/worker bot from McConnel may just fit into that category. This bot is at its core a 40hp Isuzu engine with peripherals built around it. Like a little mini-tank, it can handle a lot of terrains, and delivers most of its power on the tracks. The main feature is its remote control.
The wireless controller operates in the 863-870 Mhz range with a maximum distance of 150 meters. (That is old channels 80, 81, and 82 on the old analog television frequencies). The bot itself can travel up to 7km/h (4 mph), which is an arduously slow pace to anyone who has mowed a lawn before. Of course, the controller is laden with various potentiometer adjustment knobs.
Being a big remote control car is the extent of the ROBOCUT. At its price, $60,000 USD, I would have liked to see some autonomous activity in the system. For example, cutting a large perimeter and the bot then spirals to the center on its own.
Is this new bot even worth it?
Eavesdropper