Robot Lawnmowers Are Killing Hedgehogs (wired.com) 215
An anonymous reader shares a report: While Americans still wrangle their overgrown lawns by pushing or riding a lawnmower, many Europeans have handed off that responsibility to robots. These beefy, Roomba-like mowers loop their way around a yard, keeping grass trim and neat. To many of their users, the bots are endearing. Their owners give them names or cover them in decals of ladybugs or bumblebees. But the sentimentality only goes so far, because these blades-on-wheels have also been slicing up something other than grass: hedgehogs.
Erika Heller, a long-time hedgehog advocate with a Swiss nonprofit called Igelstation Winterthur, estimates that nearly half the hedgehogs brought to the group during the last couple years were injured by robot lawnmowers. These injuries include limb amputation, cut bellies, or even scalping. And that's not including the ones that have been killed outright. "The ones that have died we don't see, because they don't get brought here." In the United States, despite a wealth of children's toys and clothing featuring hedgehogs, the only live animals you're likely to see are in the zoo or, more controversially, kept as pets. But in Europe, wild hedgehogs are beloved. They're popular in European folklore; there's even a famous British poem about a hedgehog killed by a lawn mower.
Erika Heller, a long-time hedgehog advocate with a Swiss nonprofit called Igelstation Winterthur, estimates that nearly half the hedgehogs brought to the group during the last couple years were injured by robot lawnmowers. These injuries include limb amputation, cut bellies, or even scalping. And that's not including the ones that have been killed outright. "The ones that have died we don't see, because they don't get brought here." In the United States, despite a wealth of children's toys and clothing featuring hedgehogs, the only live animals you're likely to see are in the zoo or, more controversially, kept as pets. But in Europe, wild hedgehogs are beloved. They're popular in European folklore; there's even a famous British poem about a hedgehog killed by a lawn mower.
They have to practice on something (Score:5, Funny)
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I've gotta look to see if this is available in the US...are they reliable and safe enough to use on your front lawn, so that you don't get sued by some kid getting hurt by one running into your yard, etc....
I'll look into it, but man, unless these things are really GOOD....it seems a lawsuit magnet!!!
It sure would be nice to quit paying the guy to cut my yard $30 every couple weeks....
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I don't know what they cost, but my brother has one and loves it (here in the US). It plots out his big, rectangular yard and docks to charge when it's done. It's quiet enough that it runs every morning before anyone's awake.
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What's the liability laws for something like that in the USA?
Re:They have to practice on something (Score:5, Informative)
My neighbor has one, and they are slow, with small blades, and little power. The risk is way less than a human controlled powered lawn mower kicking up rocks or debris. I can't imagine it injuring anyone unless they purposely went up to it and stuck their toes into the blades, and that would be difficult since the blades are not exposed.
The low power is not a problem: it can just take longer, since no human time is involved. It will periodically return to the docking station to recharge.
I use a much better solution: I replaced my lawn with gravel, desert shrubs, and cacti. No grass to mow, and a 75% reduction in my water bill.
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Ok, that make sense.
While I've heard of electric lawnmowers, I've never actually seen one for sale, much less one in use.
When I heard lawnmower I immediately pictured a r
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Nifty Idea, and I see it as the future, but unless you have the ideal yard type, wouldn't really be useful.
I wonder how well it would work on a yard with terrain (bunch of sunken areas; some slanted areas; places with exposed roots of large trees; not flat) and MANY trees, bushes, and shrubs planted in the middle of the yard all over the place.... also, front yard, two side yards, and back yards, all of significant size with a bunch of garden beds, much larger than the yard you would find that
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I replaced my lawn with gravel
"Hey you kids! Get off my gravel!
No . . . that just doesn't sound right.
desert shrubs, and cacti.
"Did you say shrubberies?"
"Yes, shrubberies are my trade. I am a shrubber. My name is ShanghaiBill the Shrubber. I arrange, design, and sell shrubberies."
"Ni!"
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Ha! Read the first line as "replaced my lawn with grave!"
That'll keep the neighborhood kids off!
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I allowed evolution to take over my lawn, only the strongest plants survive with out any artificial watering and every know and again I reduce excessive growth, depending upon rainfall, with an electric mower. I prefer the overgrown look, it's environmentally soothing. I keep hoping the galahs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] will do a better job of eating the grass but they are not very even lawn trimmers.
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And you're contributing to the increase in tempature.
Nope. AGW is not caused by humans producing heat, but by humans producing gases that increase the retention of heat. So the problem is dH/dt increasing, not H.
I live in California, where 10% of all electricity consumed is used to pump water through aqueducts. So by using less water, I am producing less CO2.
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If their yard is desert shrubs and cacti, they probably live in an area where that is the natural landscape.
Dumping water on grass in a place like that causes it to evaporate and put water vapor in the air.
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What's the liability laws for something like that in the USA?
I'm not your lawyer or your insurance agent, but the risk is probably low enough that it would be covered the same as any other way someone might get injured on your property. I think, if I remember correctly, that accidental injuries like that are covered by typical homeowner's insurance.
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You're totally liable for any harm it does on your property, but after you get sued you can probably sue the manufacturer to try to get some of that back. Minus legal fees, of course.
If your home insurance covers it, then they would deal with all that, but the lawsuits would still be in your name.
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Here you go: https://www.amazon.com/Husqvar... [amazon.com]
> would be nice to quit paying the guy to cut my yard $30
In California our local government is paying us to remove outrlawns. Many people now have wildflowers and desert-type plants. Advantage: Very little maintenance required, saves water, saves fossil fuel, reduces pollution, saves $30/week
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Oregon does it too to an extent (depending on locale and which water district you live in.) It's called Xeriscaping [wikipedia.org].
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I call it letting nature take it's course.
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are they reliable and safe enough to use on your front lawn
Never mind reliable and safe - it would get stolen from a US front yard before it could break down or hurt anyone. At most one of these could do a back yard hidden away from the street.
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Never mind reliable and safe - it would get stolen from a US front yard before it could break down or hurt anyone. At most one of these could do a back yard hidden away from the street.
You need to find a better place to live. A large percentage of places in the USA with yards large enough to mow are relatively safe to leave stuff out. I have a grill and a couple bikes I leave outside and have never had a problem. Many houses in my neighborhood have similar stuff left outside. I also would think that if I had a mower like this that I would likely give it a doggie door to use so it would only be out for a few hours a week at most.
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And where exactly do you live? Cuz no place in 'merica is like that. I'd love to know... for a friend.
I live in Columbia, MO (one of the larger metropolitan areas in Missouri with population 120k with a mall, 2 theatres, etc...). My parents live in Chillicothe, MO (population 10k) and do not have keys to their house and leave the keys in all their vehicles, ATVs and heavy machinery. As a kid I used to get in trouble if I removed the keys from my car, four wheeler, or any other vehicle. When we went on vacation to Alaska for 3 weeks, we locked the front door and walked out the back because we didn't have
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They're trying pretty hard to prevent that. The one I was considering purchasing had to be re-activated every 30 days or so otherwise it would stop working. Only the factory could reset it. If someone stole it they were essentially stealing a paper weight.
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The potential crooks and the people they might try to sell the stolen unit off to don't know that though.
Finally; If nothing else, there's probably some scrap value for the electronic components.
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I want one that the alarm is "Help! Help! I'm being repressed!"
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I've gotta look to see if this is available in the US...are they reliable and safe enough to use on your front lawn, so that you don't get sued by some kid getting hurt by one running into your yard, etc....
Hmmm . . . that's why I might get one . . . I won't need to yell at the kids to get off my lawn anymore . . . the RoombaMower will keep them away . . . or make Soylent Green Mulch out of them.
If I remember correctly, US law differentiates between "unsolicited" visitors and "solicited" visitors. If the mailman, a "solicited" visitor, trips and breaks his leg on your doorstep . . . he can sue you.
If a neighborhood kid, an "unsolicited" visitor, tries to pick a fight with your lawnmower . . . he can't sue y
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If I remember correctly, US law differentiates between "unsolicited" visitors and "solicited" visitors. If the mailman, a "solicited" visitor, trips and breaks his leg on your doorstep . . . he can sue you.
If a neighborhood kid, an "unsolicited" visitor, tries to pick a fight with your lawnmower . . . he can't sue you.
Is it a blanket law across the whole country- or does it vary by state and county. That's the kind of thing I wouldn't be surprised to learn is different depending on state. Kinda like, in most states you will get in trouble for shooting someone robbing your home but in Texas you can shoot anyone on your property as long as you offer them a three step headstart.
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That must only be most of the NE states...
In the S and SE, if someone has broken into your house, you can blow that fucker away, pretty much no questions asked, as it should be.
Hell, in New Orleans, I've heard of someone shooting a criminal in their house, and the person making it out the door to die in the front yard
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If I remember correctly, US law differentiates between "unsolicited" visitors and "solicited" visitors. If the mailman, a "solicited" visitor, trips and breaks his leg on your doorstep . . . he can sue you.
I know someone who was successfully sued by a burgler who walked through a plate glass window and injured himself badly. There's no accounting for juries. Liability insurance is a must whether you rent or own.
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I don't believe that is true...
I mean, if you have a swimming pool in your back yard, fenced in, locked, etc.....and some damned neighborhood kid climbs your fence, gets in and gets hurt or drowned...YOU are definitely in for a lawsuit you will likely use at the VERY least.....and might even have criminal charges thrown your way these days....
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Re: They have to practice on something (Score:2)
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You laugh, but it already exists. And it's coming for you...
http://www.newsbeast.gr/files/... [newsbeast.gr]
Shave the Hedgehogs (Score:2)
Hurting hedgehogs should be punished by triple execution: Lethal injection, firing squad, and hanging all simultaneously.
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I'm disappointed there's no link to the "famous poem".
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That's why it's a triple execution. First he tried hanging the lawn mower, then tried lethal injection, and finally just shot at it.
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,,,and finally just shot at it.
heh. Don't bring a blade to a gun fight, right?
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You want to execute the robots?
Sure... and the programmers who didn't build in a Hedgehog protection subroutine.
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Why don't the hedgehogs run away from the robot lawn mowers?
Darwinian evolution.
For millions of years they have perfected the strategy of rolling into a ball with their quills protruding outward, much like an American porcupine. This works to deter predators, but not lawn mowers.
Behavior can change, but it takes time. For instance, musk ox will form defensive circles to repel wolves, but they have learned to run from humans.
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The ball technique would not protect them from human-operated mowers either
Actually, it does, because humans have eyes. They see the hedgehog curl up, and then they avoid it. Nobody wants hedgehog guts splattered across their lawn.
How much of an issue is this really? (Score:3)
There has to be some basic piece of information that I'm missing here, because this story doesn't seem to make sense to me. I'm not familiar with hedgehogs at all, so maybe they're just stupid when it comes to lawnmowers in the same way that rabbits are when it comes to vehicles at night. Otherwise, this just seems overblown to me.
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So how hard would it be to add IR sensors on the lawn mower to avoid killing anything at body temperature ? Not hard I reckon.
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So the lawnmower won't cut the lawn when it is 96-100 degrees? And that is assuming all animals have the same body temperature as humans.
Re:How much of an issue is this really? (Score:5, Funny)
So the lawnmower won't cut the lawn when it is 96-100 degrees?
To be fair, neither will I.
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Dirt rarely gets that hot. If it is, the grass is long dead.
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OTOH, when you have a robot lawnmower why would you run it in the heat of the late afternoon? You could program it to run at 9am or something.
Are people who mow during dinnertime even the same people that care about other animals?
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Hopefully the hedgehog isn't that hot either
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This story actually upsets me. They are cute. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see one when I was in England last month and we stayed with friends who have a nice house and garden too.
Which also reminds me, a robot mower might not be such a good option for the US: a lot of backyard properties in the US are much larger than your typical suburban English garden, one might need an army of robo-mowers.
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This story actually upsets me. They are cute. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see one when I was in England last month and we stayed with friends who have a nice house and garden too.
Which also reminds me, a robot mower might not be such a good option for the US: a lot of backyard properties in the US are much larger than your typical suburban English garden, one might need an army of robo-mowers.
Indeed, the lawn I had growing up was considered enormous by all my friends in England. It would be considered small in the US.
Re:How much of an issue is this really? (Score:5, Informative)
Hedgehogs are nocturnal. Humans mowing lawns tend to do so in daylight so few problems, but I suspect people may set the robot mowers to run overnight when the hedgies are out and about foraging.
Night-time mowing: Illegal there (Score:2)
but I suspect people may set the robot mowers to run overnight when the hedgies are out and about foraging.
No way. In Switzerland (where this non-profit is based), it is illegal to make noise between 22.00 and 06.00.
You aren't even allowed to take out your trash to the recycling bin (glass is noisy when you throw it in the collector bin).
Anyone programming their Robomow / Husqvarna to mow during night time is going to be in for a fine.
Hedghog's problems come from three source :
- Hedgehogs don't use (swiss-) watches. They are very frequently out also in the morning or early evening/late afternoon. (Which
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No. You spend $10K+ on a zero turn with a blown V8, for a 200 square foot bay area 'lawn'.
To impress the neighbors.
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I dunno, in my neighborhood it is different.
I went out raking leaves one Sunday morning, and 3 different neighbors came out to tell me how much nicer raking sounds than a leaf blower, and to thank me for clearing the street.
You want to impress the neighbors with your lawn, get an unpowered push mower.
Anyways, the people with a blown V8 riding mower can't be impressed by a mower, and they know it. You'd need a giant penis truck to impress them, or at least a muscle car worth $8k that you think is fancier tha
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Sorry about your neighborhood. Too bad you can't afford to live somewhere with decent sized lots and neighbors that aren't whiny bitches.
The people trying hard to impress their neighbors are the ones with Teslas. You don't get out much do you?
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You've clearly never met any Bay Aryans. They act just like everyone, but think they are 'the chosen'.
In Texas or S Carolina they have lawns bigger than the sheds to store the mower, hence it isn't completely insane.
What would happen if you have a Rider/Push mower (Score:2)
Normally while mowing, I am usually more focused on going in a straight line to keep my lawn neat, unfortunately any animals that are not moving and are in the range of the blades may get hit. I am not heartless If I see them, Ill avoid it, but animals seemed to evolve to be hard to see in nature, will unfortunately be hit by mowing. Snakes, Bugs, Toads, Moles, Mice... If they don't get out of the way, they can get hit.
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If they don't get out of the way, they can get hit.
George Castanza's failed deal with the pigeons comes to mind.
It is how it always begins (Score:5, Funny)
First the robots came for the hedgehogs, but I did not speak out because I was not a hedgehog.
hedgehog advocate (Score:2, Funny)
Get a job and go talk to real humans....
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I know, object and subject are so hard. So hard.
Won't Hedgehogs learn to stay away? (Score:2)
When windmills were first brought to Ontario, there were a number of bird deaths but after a while these decreased to zero and now you'll see birds fly between the blades of windmills, playing with them. Deer that aren't around humans are easier targets for hunters. Shouldn't the same thing happen with hedgehogs and lawnmowers?
It's a form of (un)natural selection, the hedgehogs's environment has changed and the ones that are more cautious and wary of the lawnmowers will become the ones that survive and mo
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When a species has successfully evolved to remain unbuggered and hasn't been buggered at all, it takes quite a few generations to re-start the evolution process....
Re:Won't Hedgehogs learn to stay away? (Score:5, Insightful)
When windmills were first brought to Ontario, there were a number of bird deaths but after a while these decreased to zero and now you'll see birds fly between the blades of windmills, playing with them. Deer that aren't around humans are easier targets for hunters. Shouldn't the same thing happen with hedgehogs and lawnmowers?
It's a form of (un)natural selection, the hedgehogs's environment has changed and the ones that are more cautious and wary of the lawnmowers will become the ones that survive and move forwards.
When hedgehogs perceive danger they roll up in a ball.
If they evolved to run instead, they might become more vulnerable to predators such as foxes and badgers because they can get past the spines easier.
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Interesting, I didn't know that.
Thank you.
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By that, I assume you mean that deer that aren't around hunters are easier targets for hunters. Deer that get used to being around (non-hunter) humans would be trivial targets for hunters. You wouldn't even need a gun.
For example, up at UC Santa Cruz, deer often graze in the grassy areas in and around the music center parking lot at about 6:30 at night. I've literally walked to within just a few feet of both fawns and does and photographed the
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It's UC Santa Cruz, that ain't 'grass' they're eating. The deer are stoned.
Hint: UC Santa Cruz stoners identify themselves to each other by simply saying 'I lived in/at Ivy'. Know the secret codes...
For myself, I just assume they're stoners when I learn to went to Santa Cruz. Like Perverts from Berlin, you'll rarely be wrong.
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You'd be shocked to know that UCSC is a smoke-free campus now.
But yeah, it does have that reputation.
They will evolve (Score:3)
The fitness landscape is constantly changing, and they are evolving. Their generation times are not long. Pretty soon they will learn to avoid robotic lawn mowers.
Just last week I saw a deer look both directions before crossing the road. Really. The only natural predator left for these rats on hooves are the the genus Automobilia species sedanis, suvis, truckis and truckis. Now they are evolving to avoid them, it is going to be impossible to contain the epidemic.
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But beware, if you've ever seen a Toyota after a moose encounter you'll know that sometimes nature wins.
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Dude. I've watched the deer up at UCSC actually cross at the crosswalks. They observe humans and learn more than most people might think. :-)
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Your deer problem should clear up shortly after dispersing a few of those about your field while they are occupying it.
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I got a dog. A big dog that loved to chase deer.
...especially with the speed boost from the wrist rocket.
No hedgehogs here (Score:2)
If a robot mower (or regular mower) hit a woodchuck, I think major repairs would be required.
I've been known for stopping the mower for praying mantis(es) and voles.
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Yes, but have you priced out woodchuck brain surgery lately?
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If a robot mower (or regular mower) hit a woodchuck, I think major repairs would be required.
How much woodchuck would a lawnmower chuck, if a lawnmower could chuck woodchuck?
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How much woodchuck would a lawnmower chuck, if a lawnmower could chuck woodchuck?
Congrats, you win the internet today!
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Turtles are what robot mowers will kill in the United States. Lots of turtles.
It's robot mowers, all the way down.
Lawnmower Man (Score:2)
Was there a naked man on all fours following the mower, eating the grass and hedgehog carcasses?
If so, don't call the cops - go with "God bless the grass."
Why only autonomous lawnmowers? (Score:2)
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Why are they only complaining about the autonomous "robot" lawnmowers? A lawnmower pushed or piloted by a human is going to bisect that hedgehog just as much as one driven by a computer. Anyone who's ever piloted a riding mower through tall grass knows that you're not going to see an object in the grass -- whether it's a small animal or an inanimate object (kids toys etc) -- until after the blades have busted it up.
Yeah, but you're not likely to mow your lawn in the dark when Hedgehogs are wandering across them.
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Among other things, I would assume the manually operated mowers also happen to usually be gasoline, and as such louder.
Even for electric mowers, a manually operated electric mower is going to have a relatively huge mowing deck and will be loud operating still, the robot mowers have about 1/3rd the size mowing deck, and even more strives for quiet operation in various ways that would be intolerable if a human were busy operating it.
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No, with a push mower as a teenager I ran over a snake, and it made me unhappy, so I started looking where I was going, and even in tall grass I'd be able to see the snake trying to run away, and avoid it. It also helps in avoiding rocks, sprinkler heads that didn't retract properly, and even just uneven patches of ground. Generally, paying close attention improves the quality of the work, in addition to saving lives.
A computer that doesn't have any systems to avoid a snake that is trying to escape in a non
protect those that rely on us for protection (Score:3)
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Hell, this is a good point. I have to go out of my way not to hit squirrels. While squirrels might be the hardest to avoid over here, I sure as hell don't want robot vehicles hitting my cats!!!
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I'm not fond of house cats, but they do keep down the population of mice and other small rodents.
But not rats :( [abc.net.au]
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There was a sonic level where he was chased by an angry 18-wheeler through the whole level, knocking down walls and whatnot. A lawnmower seems a bit anti-climatic.
So... it's not just the robots (Score:2)
Anyone here ever eaten one? A hedgehog I mean, not an automated lawn mower. Wonder what they taste like?
No animals in the US? (Score:3)
"In the United States, despite a wealth of children's toys and clothing featuring hedgehogs, the only live animals you're likely to see are in the zoo or, more controversially, kept as pets. But in Europe, wild hedgehogs are beloved."
She really needs to actually visit the United States. I can show her a wealth of what we call prairie dogs, along with the biological equivalent of these "scalpers". We call them, hawks.
--
"Adopt the pace of nature: Her secret is patience" -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Can we adjust them to kill SJWs? (Score:2)
/ I'm gonna pay for this
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Sing with me, "Every signature is special "
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I've wondered this myself. I expect that it has something to do with the fact that "the rich" have historically had large properties with large lawns, and figure that maybe even peons can similar enjoyment out of the postage stamp of land that they live on.
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A lawn is something that allows me to get from place to place on my property. In lieu of grass, native weeds will replace the grass and perform the same function if they're mowed occasionally. Not mowing provides a haven for ticks (and hence Lyme disease), and eventually shrubs and trees grow, making passage across my property difficult.
A lawn provides an open space for sports: horseshoes, croquet, and a host of other possibilities.
A tree growing near the house will eventually lose limbs and die, poking nas