Honda begins demonstrations today of the Honda Miimo, a unique robotic lawn mower, at the 2013 Honda Classic — a  PGA TOUR event taking place February 25-March 3 at PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Currently sold only in Europe, the Honda Miimo is the company’s first commercial robotic product for domestic use, offering customers the ultimate in lawn mowing ease. 

Hard at work all weekend long between the 10th and 18th fairways, a Honda Miimo will be cutting grass for tournament spectators and also will be on display in the Honda product tent located by the main entrance to the course. The Honda Miimo is the perfect solution for people who want the benefits of a beautiful lawn without having to physically mow grass. The product requires minimal human interaction while in use, saves a great deal of time and labor, and produces a neat, manicured yard.

The Honda Miimo operates a continuous cutting system, typically mowing just 2-3 mm (.08–.11 inches ) of grass at a time, several times each week. It cuts in a random pattern, a technique that results in less stress on grass, more healthy growth, and reduced moss and weeds. Unlike a traditional lawn mower, it does not need to collect cuttings; the clippings it creates are miniscule and easily dispersed into the lawn root system — breaking down quickly to act as a natural fertilizer that improves the health and quality of the grass.

The new robotic lawn mower navigates through an intelligent combination of controls, timers and real-time sensory feedback. It works within a boundary wire, installed under the ground or in the grass around the perimeter of the area to be mowed. The Honda Miimo detects the electronic signal in the wire and stays within the boundary. Powered by a high performance lithium-ion battery, the product is self-charging, constantly monitoring its battery level and returning to its docking station when it needs to recharge.

The Honda Miimo features three independent 360 degree sensors that detect solid contacts between the unit and any obstacles. If a sensor is activated, the lawn mower will stop, turn, and move in a different direction from the point of contact.

Both safety and security during use are assured by two additional sensors that are triggered to shut down the lawn mower in the event that the Honda Miimo leaves the ground. In addition, an alarm sounds, and the product cannot be used until the owner inputs a unique PIN.

Honda Power Equipment also will be displaying and operating many of its other popular lawn mowers, pumps, generators and marine engines at The Honda Classic. Specifically, the extremely popular and quiet Honda EU2000i, EU3000i and EU6500i generators will be powering various concessions as well as the mobile device charging station. Honda pumps, lawn mowers and generators will join the showcase of Honda automobiles, Acura automobiles, Honda motorcycles and Honda racing displays in the Honda product display tent.

"Honda Power Equipment always has worked hard to produce products that help people get things done with maximum convenience and ease," said Scott Conner, vice president, Honda Power Equipment. "The Miimo robotic lawn mower is the ultimate expression of those efforts, and the product demonstrates new and innovative thinking from Honda.”