LIDAR FOR SMALLER GARDENS

Roborock is expanding its range of robotic lawn mowers with the RockNeo Q2 LiDAR, a model designed for gardens of up to 800 square metres.

– It will be the new model for the new season. We are also working on other models, but these will not be launched until a later date, says Witt chief executive Claus Tange to the trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen when we meet him at the IFA trade fair in Berlin in September.

The new model is equipped with a LiDAR sensor and dual camera system. According to Witt, which sells Roborock robotic lawn mowers in the Nordic region, this is an important step because the technology is now becoming available for smaller gardens as well.

– Typical gardens in the Nordic region range from quite small ones to some really large areas, up to 3,000–4,000 square metres. We are now bringing LiDAR technology to smaller areas, says Tange.

The RockNeo Q2 LiDAR uses Sentisphere LiDAR technology and ReactiVision Fusion to avoid obstacles without the need for cables, subscriptions or antennas. The model has a built-in edge-cutting module as standard and can also be equipped with a solar-powered garage as an optional extra.

More and more models with LiDAR

According to Tange, navigation technology has developed rapidly in recent years.

– Over the past year, we have primarily used RTK technology and moved to network RTK. Now the LiDAR models are really coming through and are being properly launched this season, and even more models are coming next year, he says.

The RockNeo Q2 LiDAR has a movable cutting deck and a PreciEdge edge-cutting module, which is intended to make it possible to cut within three centimetres of the edge.

– It has always been a challenge to get as close to the edge as possible, so that you do not have to go over it afterwards with a trimmer. With the first series we launched this year, we have reduced the distance to the edge to three centimetres. We will get even closer to the edge next season, says Tange.

Rapid growth

He says that Witt has worked with robotic lawnmowers for nearly 17 years, and that this is its first season as a distributor for Roborock in the category.

– It has been great fun. Roborock is unquestionably the fastest-growing individual brand we have ever introduced in this category, and after all, we work with some fairly large brands, says Tange.

He believes the company’s experience with robotic lawnmowers has been important to the collaboration.

– We have built up a network over many years in the lawnmower industry. The entire journey we have been on as a business, where we have built up the entire wireless category from scratch, has made Roborock interested in entering into this partnership with us, he says.

Exciting developments

At the trade fair, the company is also showcasing the four-wheel-drive RockMow Z1, which, according to Tange, is already among the best-selling models.

– It adapts to the obstacles it encounters on the lawn in several different ways. Both with a wheel suspension that adjusts itself, while on the underside we also have our floating cutting deck, so that we always adapt to the differences in level on the lawn, says Tange.

– How do you view developments going forward?

– Navigation technologies are moving extremely quickly. Network RTK is still part of the market, but it is when you move beyond a certain area size that this technology will be used in the future. For smaller lawn areas, we will see LiDAR gradually beginning to take over, combined with cameras, he says.

Recommends winter storage

Tange encourages consumers to take care of their robotic lawnmowers between seasons.

– It is important to put the mower into winter storage. Not primarily because the product cannot withstand being left outdoors, but to protect the battery from the climate we have, where it becomes extremely cold in winter. We clearly recommend bringing the robot indoors when temperatures begin to approach freezing, he says.