How do you begin to describe this little lawnmower? Adorable. Cheap. Printable. Automatic. Clever. The 3D Printed Arduino Lawnmower Ardumower was designed to take care of lawn mowing, at a fraction of the cost and hassle. It is also one of the cutest robots you could have in (or around) your house.

Engineer Andreas Haeuser is already known for a printed solar powered Stirling engine and wind turbine. Now, his Arduino lawnmower is here to help suburbanites everywhere. If you’ve ever had a lawn, you know that keeping it trim is about the most infuriating thing imaginable. The lawnmower never starts, the sun is relentless, and the grass never stops growing. It is an endless cycle that a simple robot mower could fix.

Print Your Own  Arduino Lawnmower. Sit back. Relax.

The Ardumower is driven by two 12V geared motors, and the cutting device is made from a 12V DC-motor and a cutter disc with a 220mm diameter. It is powered by rechargeable 12V NiMH or 11.1V LiPo batteries. The Arduino motherboard is very minimalistic, and does not require extensive tech know-how to operate. According to Haeuser, the mower is suitable, and has been tested on, a typical 500m² lawn.

Arduino Uno and an Arduino motorboard reduce the electronics work to a minimum. Therefore, even beginners will manage to build this project easily. All schematics and the Arduino controller software is part of the construction manual. The Arduino lawnmower is smart enough to detect collisions.

The robot mower works like a Roomba, except for your entire lawn. It works inside of a “boundary wire fence,” and will cut anything within the perimeter. The mower’s heights and power can be adjusted to fit the height of the grass.

While an ordinary commercial robotic mower will cost between €600 and €800, the Ardumower’s power lies in its ability to be printed and constructed. The design can be downloaded for $12, complete with instructions, and printed on any common 3D printer capable of a minimum 180mm x 180mm x 60mm build volume. Needless to say, if this little mower works as advertised, it marks a new chapter in the world of home care. Teenagers everywhere can rejoice at not being forced to mow the lawn, and makers can put their hobby machines to good use.