In October 2021 we received one of the first beta "test units" of the Navimow robot lawnmower from Segway Robotics. This unit was one of just 50 sent out around the world to selected Segway-Ninebot distributors, and the only one sent to the Southern Hemisphere that year. The serial number was "....06" making it the 6th unit off the assembly line of 'T1' units.

The timing was important to Segway Robotics because New Zealand was just entering our Spring growing season, the time when grass is growing fastest. This is followed by the summer period when the blades of grass are at their toughest to cut. Our data would provide very valuable feedback to Segway Robotics at a time when much of the Northern Hemisphere was snowed under or had minimal grass growth.

Our testing Navimow was the H3000-E model, the largest and most capable in the H-series range. Our experiences with the T1 development unit provided very useful feedback over the next 18 months. We were able to send Segway Robotics photos and videos of Navimow in operation on a 2,000m² lawn (the H3000 is spec'd to mow up to 3,000m²). Further, via both its WiFi connection and 4G mobile phone data network Navimow could send telemetric back data directly to the engineers at the factory for analysis.

We already had many years of experience using a Husqvana Automower (originally a 330X, then a 430X) on our three lawn areas for ~5 years prior to the arrival of the Segway Navimow. The Automower required a wire to be laid out around the entire perimeter of the lawn, then pinned into the grass or buried under the soil. Additionally, wire had to be run out to every object to be avoided on the lawn, such as trees, garden beds, swimming pool, etc.

The Navimow was installed onto the largest lawn (2,000m²), while the Automower continued cutting the small two smaller lawns (each about 1,000m²). The three lawns are non-contiguous. Because the then-beta version of the Navimow App did not support multiple mowing zones at that time, using one Navimow to mow two or more lawns (or "zones") was not possible back then.

Navimow was easy to install and set up because no boundary wire is necessary.

The Base Station attaches to a special transmitter mounted on a pole (or on the roof of your house), and this provides a reference point for Segway's clever Exact Fusion Location System. By triangulating between this fixed, known reference point along with as many GNSS (GPS) satellites as within sight while passing overhead (often at least half-a-dozen), combined with "dead reckoning" data calculated from the rate of rotation of each wheel, etc, Navimow can calculate its position down to the centimetre level.

Use the App to drive Navimow around the perimeter of the lawn using one-screen joysticks to create and save a boundary. Then drive around each tree, garden bed or other obstruction to be avoided, and add them in turn as exclusion zones. Then push MOW NOW and Navimow will work out the most efficient way to mow your lawn.

The T1 Testing Navimow performed admirably on our tough lawn, slicing through grass at least as well as the Automower. Over-the-air firmware updates were pushed out automatically during the testing period, upgrading performance and capabilities. For example, under the beta version Navimow would cut the lawn in one back-and-forth pattern, leaving attractive stripes. The latest version shifts the pattern by 30 degrees every mow, to add variety and avoid tracking (although this feature can be turned off). Compared with the Automower that moves randomly around the lawn until it is all done (similar to a Roomba vacuum cleaner), Navimow mows in deliberate lines and therefore is much more efficient (and the job is done quicker). Still, back in 2021 not everything had been perfected, and sometimes Navimow would get a bit lost, or a bit stuck in a rabbit hole - and try to dig itself back to China!

Navimow was soft-launched in selected EU markets in mid-2022 (Northern summer) with a small production run, and most sales were in Germany. Customer feedback drove rapid improvements in the mower firmware and in the App itself, with features being improved and refined towards a v1.0 release. To thank these early adopters Segway Robotics sent out free VisionFence camera units to customers who were part of the beta testing project. VisionFence replaced the ultrasonic sensor strip, and is an included feature on some 2024 models and an optional feature on others (more on VisionFence in a future article).

Navimow sold well in EU and UK markets during their 2023 summer, and was launched in Australia at the end of 2023. It CES 2024 it was announced Navimow launches in North America in early-2024.

Segway Navimow is already here in New Zealand, with the first units deployed in the Auckland region.

Call us on 0800 SEGWAY to be first to be amongst the first to own the revolutionary Navimow in New Zealand.

In upcoming Segway NZ News articles we'll explore just how well Navimow deals with a variety of complex lawn layouts across the Auckland region.