Robot mower firm goes for the green

Let's play a little word association game today.

What comes to mind when I say "robot?"

A machine that looks somewhat like a human, acts somewhat like a human but complains a lot less. Will work without 401(k) benefits.

Good. Now try "mowing the lawn."

Broiling heat. Rivers of sweat. More noise than a Monster Truck Pull. Plus a weird sense of personal satisfaction when the torture is finally over.

Excellent. Now try "lawn-mowing robot."

The mind goes blank. Nothing. Finally, a ridiculous image of C-3P0 -- the prissy, golden robot from Star Wars -- gradually comes into focus. Oblivious to the heat, he is pushing a mower across your lawn, cutting the grass in geometrically precise rows. The vision is a little unsettling but vaguely thrilling.

The day when robots will be able to mow your grass is not only near. It's here. You can glimpse the future -- or one version of it, anyway -- at the brand-new Friendly Robotics store at the First Colony Commons in Sugar Land. It is the first retail outlet the international company has opened anywhere in the world.

Automated vacuum possible

The star of the store is the Robomow, which looks nothing like C3P0 but does bear a striking resemblance to a giant computer mouse with wheels or maybe a mutant horseshoe crab creeping across the lawn. For about $749, you can set one loose on your crabgrass and crawl into a hammock.

The Robomow is the commercial outcome of some backyard tinkering by a former fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force. Udi Peless had worked in developing weapons and their complex guidance systems, so getting an automated mower to cut grass was not exactly a quantum leap of science.

The company is based in Israel and its American headquarters is near Dallas. For the past year, the mowers have been sold stateside through a handful of hardware stores and the company's Web site.

Friendly Robotics did not offer sales figures, but Product Manager John Bunton said they've been strong enough to open the store, which also will function as a demonstration center. Visitors can put the Robomow through its paces on a patch of Astroturf.

"It's like the advent of the microwave oven," he said. "They had special stores to train people how to use them.""

Friendly Robotics chose to locate its first retail store in the Houston area because its long growing season, the amount of time locals spend tending their yards and the city's awful air quality. The battery-powered Robomow does not emit pollution and is about as quiet as a vacuum cleaner -- which is the next automated product Friendly Robotics hopes to bring to market.

"People in Houston appreciate technology," said Bunton. "NASA is here, and there is a lot of high-tech here."

Blades stop if they hit an object

The mower works off an internal compass that tracks true north. To set the outlines of its mowing pattern, the mower tracks a green wire that is sunk into the grass. After that, it zigs and zags until its computer tells it that it has mowed the entire space, including curves, nooks and crannies.

It takes about 2 1/2 hours to mow a 3,000-square-foot yard. The lengthy process prompted Consumer Reports to scoff: "If you thought watching the grass grow was fun. ... "

Bunton said the Consumer Reports article misses the point. You don't have to stare at the mower while it operates, he said. But it's a good idea to be nearby, gardening, shooting hoops with the kids or washing the car.

"It's faster to hand-wash your dishes, but a dishwasher is more convenient," he said. "This is the same thing.".

The Robomow is programmed with several safety features. If it bumps into something -- a tree, a swing set, a person's leg -- it automatically will stop its blades and back away. If someone lifts the mower, exposing its underside, the blades also shut down.

"We have never had an injury with one of our mowers," Bunton said.

So, is the Robomow a giant leap into an unpredictable future? Are we that much closer to living in the world of Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, a realm where robots secretly run the world?

"You know, I'd like to get rid of the `robot' nametag," Bunton said. "This machine is like a dishwasher or a washing machine. It's an appliance you use every day. It's like a computer with blades."

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