| You're standing in your front yard minding your own | | | | main boards. Even the resistance against the blades |
| business when a robot with three razor sharp blades | | | | and the ability of the software to stop them is |
| spinning at 5,800 rpm starts racing toward you. What | | | | measured in thousandths of seconds. |
| do you do? | | | | Since these robotic lawn mowers are designed to |
| Is this some kind of nightmare? No, you're awake | | | | mulch there is no easy outlet for flying debris. |
| and this is really happening, so once again, what do | | | | Pebbles and pine cones do not get tossed very far |
| you do? | | | | and at low velocity. |
| The answer is nothing. It will just bounce off you and | | | | Some robotic lawn mowers have sonar detection |
| go another direction. Rather anti-climatic ending wasn't | | | | systems that if any moving objects get close they'll |
| it? That is just the way the robotic lawn mower | | | | slow down and at another point stop the blade |
| companies want it to be. | | | | before even being touched. All have some sort of |
| The greatest concern most people have about | | | | touch sensors that when they lightly bump into a |
| robotic lawn mowers is safety. 'Bots with Blades' just | | | | stationary object that they change direction. So |
| can't be safe. According to Ames Tiedeman, National | | | | actually getting run over is unlikely. |
| Sales Manager for Systems Trading Corp., the US | | | | Another big concern is pets getting chopped to bits, |
| distributor for the Friendly Robotics Robomower, | | | | again, no reported accidents involving robotic lawn |
| over 72,000 emergency room visits involved lawn | | | | mowers. Dogs have a tendency to chase and bark, |
| mowers in 2005. ZERO involved robotic lawn mowers. | | | | but not attack. A dog actually chewing up a robotic |
| These mowers have so many safety features and | | | | lawn mower is more feasible than a robotic lawn |
| shut-off triggers that it is amazing that they are | | | | mower chewing up a dog. |
| actually functional. | | | | Robotic lawn mowers move relatively slow, people |
| The Friendly Robotics Robomower turns the blades | | | | and animals can easily move out of the way. |
| off at 16 degrees, not even high enough to get a | | | | Although it takes a lot longer to mow, if everyone |
| hand under. Even if a small hand could get under, the | | | | used them there would be 72,000 fewer hospital |
| blades are far back and recessed into a chamber in | | | | visits this year. |
| the body. It would take creativity, not stupidity, to | | | | This article was written to educate people that |
| get to the blades while they are still turning. | | | | robotic mowers under intended circumstances are |
| Unlike push and riding lawn mower safety devices, | | | | safe. There has been a great deal of thought and |
| robotic lawn mower features are not easily disabled. | | | | engineering involved to make robotic lawn mowers |
| The tilt detection devices are soldered on to the | | | | safe for public use. |