iRobot Unveils Terra Mower After a Decade of Development
iRobot introduces Terra, a robotic lawnmower that leverages the company's deep Roomba expertise to tackle outdoor yard work. The highly anticipated product takes a decade of dedicated research to navigate complex outdoor environments.
iRobot unveils Terra, a robotic lawnmower designed to bring the same mainstream success to yard work that the Roomba achieved for indoor cleaning. The development of this outdoor robot takes a full decade, with a dedicated R&D team of 35 to 50 employees working diligently to perfect the system.
Unlike competitors such as Honda and Worx, iRobot relies on its 17 years of experience evolving the Roomba line to inform the Terra's design. The company covertly tests the mower in a fenced-off section of its Massachusetts parking lot, teaching the robot to handle uneven outdoor surfaces and tricky obstacles like slanted trampoline legs.
The Terra operates similarly to modern Roombas by living on a charging dock and using iRobot's Imprint smart mapping technology to learn the layout of the yard on its first run. Its vision system features specialized upgrades to handle unpredictable outdoor lighting and obstacles, allowing it to autonomously maintain the lawn with minimal human intervention.