SOLAR MOWER

SOLAR MOWER Robot vacuum cleaners are slowly taking off, and robot lawn mowers have been around for over a decade. What's new this month, however, is a mower that not only trims the lawn all by itself, but does so using solar power. Sweden's Husqvarna just introduced the world's first solar/electric hybrid robot lawnmower, which has no exhaust emissions and uses approximately the same amount of energy as a standard light bulb. Cleverly targeting time-starved consumers as well as tree-huggers, Husqvarna claims: "It's been calculated that using Automower Solar Hybrid to cut the lawn in an average garden can save 40 hours of labour every year - the equivalent of an extra week's holiday." Owners just lay out a boundary cable that tells the robot where to stop cutting, saving the delphiniums from an untimely death. And the cuttings don't need raking, either: the grass is cut so finely that it can be left where it falls and acts as a fertiliser. Combining two powerful trends - convenience and eco-friendliness - has to be a winner. Who's next? (CB/WN/MT) Supplied by WENN