This robot mower is a Roomba for your lawn
Robots are invading everywhere, from nursing homes to hospitals to fast food restaurants, and they could also very well replace the kids that mow your lawn.
If you have lots of lawn space and the wherewithal, you can buy your own robotic mower - a Roomba for your lawn, essentially. The Husqvarna Automower costs anywhere from $2,000 to $3,500. Here's a video of the mower in action:
To use the mower, you place the charging station within 50 feet of a power outlet and set the wire boundaries around the lawn area you need to be mowed. Once the Automower is charged, it'll go on its way, cutting grass inside the boundary lines.
The biggest downside is that the mower needs that boundary wire - and it'll eat up any toys and objects you leave in the yard. So if you have messy kids, you might have to cordon their play area off or otherwise clean up any areas that you don't want mower blades to touch.
But if you're a relatively tidy person, there are really only upsides: the mower is incredibly quiet compared to a traditional lawn mower, and a Wired reviewer said the mower cuts so fine that you can barely see the shavings after it's done with its routine.