Road Test: Victa RM100 robotic lawnmower

Great news for lazy patriots! At last, hands-free lawnmowing.

What is it? Great news for lazy patriots! It’s Aussie firm Victa’s first robotic lawnmower.

Nice. Yeah. It’ll “save you time to do other things”, Victa says. (Such as sitting in a deck chair with a beer, watching it mow the lawn.)

Is it powered by a big V8? Alas, no; by a lithium-ion battery, which means it’s quiet. It’s a set-and-forget unit: you program (via a touchscreen) when to mow; it’ll leave its docking station on the dot, do the job, then return to the station to recharge.

If I’m asleep face-down in a flower bed, will it take my toes off? Nope, it has “bump sensors” to navigate unfamiliar objects as it zig-zags around in a random pattern.

Anything else? It leaves all the fine clippings on the lawn, which is good mulch, and also guarantees a soft landing in this summer’s beer-fuelled Victa Rodeo Challenge. I mean, of course you’re going to.

$1299, victa.com.au