A hallmark of American living is a green, pristine, manicured lawn. Some people really enjoy pushing a lawn mower around, this article is not for those people. For most of us, we just want the grass cut and we’re willing to pay good money to have it done. Robin is startup based in Dallas that’s looking to simplify this process.
Robin was started by Justin Crandall and Bart Lamont saw a pain point in their own lives, they felt uneasy with leaving an envelope full of cash for the gardner underneath the doormat. Under further investigation they found out that one hour of mowing emits as much pollution as 11 hours in the car, a single gas mower is responsible for 87 lbs of CO2 and 54 lbs of other pollutants into the air, and over 17 million gallons of gas are spilled each year refueling gardening equipment.
Coupled with the fact that over the last 50 years there haven’t been many changes in gas-mower technology and the lawn-care industry in general, Crandall and Lamont sought to disrupt this out of date model with an “Uber for lawn mowing” business.
They created a robotic lawnmower that, similar in function to a Roomba, in that it doesn’t require a user to operate it. Robin lawn mowers are battery operated, only require 11 kWh of electricity a month (~2 dollars), and put out zero emissions.
The robots have sensors so that if they bump into a tree or anything else, they will back up and change directions. They are safe to use, the blades stop within one second in if the mower is lifted or comes up on an angle.
Robin’s business model involves buying the mower wholesale from a manufacturer and leasing it out as a service for the same price or less of what people currently pay for lawn-care. Their biggest obstacle right now is expansion, as unfortunately they’re only in a few select southern cities. It is however, a very easy service to sign up, simply input your address and phone number to see if your area is eligible, and you’ll receive a free quote.
