Looks like robot lawnmowers are finally coming to the U.S. After a few years of enviously watching prototypes attack lawns in Europe and Japan, industry observers are paying attention: the Roomba maker is now talking lawn automation.
iRobot Corp. recently got approval from the Federal Communications Commission to create and sell an automated lawn mower that would "learn" its boundaries by communicating with wired stakes on the property.
Details are few in news stories (and it appears we may have to wait a while to see these deployed), but there's a storm brewing: a worry about radio interference, particularly from those that use telescopes to chart the cosmos.
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory had asked the FCC to reconsider, according to Thomson Reuters, because of worries that the lawnmower would screw up observations. While the FCC seemed satisfied in this regard, it does pose questions regarding items such as stereos and medical electronics.
And there are other questions to consider as well. Is the person liable for supervising the lawn mower? Given there are sharp tools involved, it seems common sense to make sure it's moving about the lawn okay -- especially in front yards that are accessible by children and pets.
What if the lawn mower overruns the boundaries? What if it can't be shut off? It's the usual worries about automation and making sure the computers on board are "smart" enough to disable in case of emergency, and wait for a more flexible human operator to help out.
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Top image: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
