The reviewer found that robot lawnmowers have improved enough to make regular lawn maintenance substantially easier, although they still require supervision rather than being fully autonomous. Testing five models on a challenging three-quarter-acre South Carolina garden, she found advances in navigation and manoeuvrability meant the machines no longer regularly became stuck, producing a healthier, more consistently cut lawn.

The main developments are network RTK positioning, backup navigation systems and better all-wheel drive. RTK combines satellite signals with a fixed reference antenna to locate a mower within a few centimetres, but clear sky visibility remains important and trees or buildings can disrupt it; the Lidar-based Dreame was the exception among the tested models. Daily, quiet trimming removes only small amounts of grass, creating neater lines and a lusher lawn without disturbing neighbours, pets or wildlife.