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Last week, in advance of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), I said, “I would love to see a fleet of small robot lawnmowers, perfect for tiny lawns, and for them to be sold at tiny prices.” Mammotion and I must be on the same wavelength because today at CES, they announced a miniature version of their two exceptional robot mowers: the LUBA and the YUKA. The idea of a mini robot lawnmower is brilliant— there are plenty of people with smaller lawns, and a smaller mower means accessibility and removal of unnecessary labor without having to stow or pay for a big machine.
I found myself thinking a lot about the Switchbot K10+, a mini robot vacuum that I am a huge fan of. The charm of the K10+ isn’t that it's for smaller spaces—it actually handles a whole house better than most—but that the diminutive size allows it to fit into spaces bigger robots can’t, and get a tighter radius around objects. The Luba and Yuka Mini should do the same. They can access lawns through smaller pathways, and navigate around obstacles like planters and lawn lights with more ease. They won’t tear up your lawn when making a turn, since their wheels should be smaller and the robot should be lighter.
The Mammotion Luba 2 was the first robot lawnmower I tested, and I assumed all other mowers would live up to it, but I was sadly mistaken. Despite testing many mowers over last summer, it wasn’t even close. The Luba is highly competent, navigating any terrain without blinking, reliably starting and returning to the base when it should and sticking to the areas it is plotted to.
The Yuka came at the end of the summer, and it is akin to a little sister to the Luba. A bit smaller, more agile, and with a hopper to automatically collect and then dump leaves, trimmings, or debris where you want it to. The Yuka can handle more mowing areas than the Luba, but the Luba is unperturbed by any landscaping you throw at it; it easily traverses a large rock wash in my neighbor's lawn.
The Luba mini will weigh just 33 lbs., which is dramatically lighter than the original; the Yuka mini clocks in at 22 lbs.
One of the key things that sets robot lawnmowers apart from one another is how easy they are to set up. The Mammotion mowers are exceptional because you simply walk them around your yard using the remote control on your phone app, and once they have the area mapped, they navigate the interior of the space flawlessly. The AI used in this auto mapping will be present on the minis.
The Luba mini starts at $1,499, and the Yuka mini starts at $799; both are available for pre-order on the Mammotion website now and are expected to ship before April.
