Robot mower technology without the marketing fog.
Practical, buyer-focused explanations of the terms that matter when comparing navigation, mapping, terrain capability and day-to-day ownership.
Each entry goes beyond a one-line definition: how the technology works, where it helps, where it can fail, and what a buyer should actually check. Product profiles link only the first useful occurrences so the site stays readable.
AWD
All-wheel drive: powered traction at all wheels, often used to improve climbing ability and control on difficult terrain.
Explain this term →Boundary wire
A physical perimeter cable that creates a signal the mower follows or detects to stay inside the intended mowing area.
Explain this term →GNSS
The satellite-navigation family that includes GPS and other constellations; it is the positioning foundation used by many RTK robot mowers.
Explain this term →IP rating
A standardized ingress-protection code describing tested resistance to solids and water; useful, but not a complete durability rating.
Explain this term →LiDAR
Laser-based ranging used to measure surrounding geometry for mapping, localization and obstacle awareness without depending only on satellites.
Explain this term →Mowing zone
A separately defined lawn area or section that can receive its own schedule, cutting settings or access route.
Explain this term →Network RTK
RTK correction data delivered from a network service, potentially avoiding the need for a dedicated local reference antenna at the property.
Explain this term →No-go zone
A mapped exclusion area inside the larger mowing map where the robot is instructed not to enter.
Explain this term →Obstacle avoidance
The sensors and software used to detect objects in the mowing path and decide whether to slow, stop or route around them.
Explain this term →RTK
Real-Time Kinematic satellite positioning used by many wire-free robot mowers to hold virtual boundaries with much higher precision than ordinary GPS.
Explain this term →Sensor fusion
Combining several sensors or positioning methods so the mower can make decisions from a more complete picture than any one sensor provides.
Explain this term →SLAM
Simultaneous Localization and Mapping: the process of building or updating a map while a robot estimates its own position inside that map.
Explain this term →Slope rating
The manufacturer’s stated incline capability, usually expressed as a percentage or degrees; definitions and test conditions can differ.
Explain this term →Virtual boundary
A software-defined mowing boundary stored in the mower’s map instead of being defined only by a buried perimeter cable.
Explain this term →Vision navigation
Camera-based navigation and scene understanding used for localization, boundary recognition, route planning and/or obstacle handling.
Explain this term →VSLAM
Visual SLAM: localization and mapping in which one or more cameras provide the main environmental observations.
Explain this term →