Just a little off the sides?

Meet the little orange machine that can trim grass, recharge itself – and help the environment to boot

Fed up of having to mow the lawn every week? Then perhaps give Stihl Canada’s new robot a try.

Stihl Canada representatives from London, Ont., put their little orange robot through its paces at a home in Valley, just outside Truro, recently.

Unlike conventional gas-powered lawnmowers that emit pollutants, Stihl’s imow version is battery-run and has its own charger that it returns to automatically when necessary, reducing environmental impact.

Before it can run, wiring with pegs is set up around a property to mark out boundaries the device is programmed to stay within, so it mows certain areas at certain times.

“It’s relatively unknown here in North America but they’re hugely popular in Europe,” said Stihl product specialist Josee Levesque. “Some of the benefits of having a robotic lawnmower include, obviously, the time you save not pushing around a lawnmower once every week or two; it takes care of itself. Secondly, it’s actually better for the grass because we’re not trimming as much of it, we’re just taking a little bit every day and it puts less stress on the plant and it therefore it allows the grass to grow much healthier and thicker.”

The robotic lawnmower is also good for allergy sufferers, as only small clippings are taken and the mower mulches them, unlike older lawnmowers that can leave behind clumps of grass cuttings.

The robot mower draws about the same amount of power as a 60-watt light bulb.

The robotic lawnmower is not necessarily meant to replace traditional mowers. It is more of a lawn maintenance system to keep the grass at the same height, moving around the yard to cut a little bit every day.

“The idea is the lawn will look cut on a Monday and should have the same look and finish on a Friday if it’s set up prop- erly,” said Levesque’s boss Hugh Munn, originally from Truro but now working for Stihl in Ontario.

Stihl Canada chose the Truro area to test its new mower because they wanted to do a training session with potential users in the heart of the Maritimes in a location accessible to people from across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

At retail, the mower, installation, trimmer, blower and shrub shear gear go for $2,829.80.

FRAM DINSHAW/ TRURO NEWS Stihl Canada’s small robotic lawnmower is designed to keep grass cut to a certain level and will return to its battery-charging station automatically whenever its charge runs low. This eco-friendly machine was recently put through its paces in Valley by Stihl product specialist Josee Levesque from London, Ont.