Mammotion Luba Mini AWD 1500

A robot lawnmower that looks like a miniature F1 racing car? As unique selling points go, that’s a pretty irresistible one. The diminutive Mammotion LUBA mini AWD 1500 (you can even buy stick-on ‘go-faster’ racing stripes for it) is designed to tackle lawns of up to 1500 m2 in area, impressive going for something so small.

Even more remarkably, the company’s engineers have equipped it with AWD (All Wheel Drive), as well as adaptive suspension (i.e. shock absorbers), to allow it to mow inclines of up to 80% (i.e. up to 38.6 degrees from the horizontal).

Unboxing and setting up is remarkably straightforward; aside from screwing in the camera module and plugging in its cables, there really isn’t much in the way of assembly required. The mower can be manually programmed to mow up to 20 separate grassed areas (zones), or will automatically do the job itself, if you have clearly defined lawn boundaries. I wanted to omit a few areas so set my zones manually, a hassle-free process, though I did note that the satellite imagery that Mammotion uses, in my area at least, is a little murky.

When it comes to the tech that the mower relies on to navigate its way around your garden, the default option – which worked perfectly for me – combines AI Vision (that’s what the camera module is for) with GPS satellite positioning (via the supplied RTK reference station).

You can also instruct the mower to use Wi-Fi, if your garden is covered, or, if neither of the previous options is practical, there’s also a subscription-based 4G iNavi service, one that entirely does away with the need for a base station (first 12 months free, £49.60 a year after that).

Flipping it over reveals a single 20cm cutting disc, equipped with 6 pivoting blades. At the rear you’ll find a replaceable 6.1Ah battery which takes 200 minutes to charge when the mower is in its dock, giving around 185 minutes of mowing time; enough to cover 350m2 before it has to head back to recharge.

The accompanying iOS/Android app that controls the mower is one of the better examples around; easy to understand, very detailed – though not overwhelmingly so – and utterly fuss-free to use.

I set the LUBA mini AWD 1500 to work for several weeks on my 1000m2 lawn and it proved hugely capable. As long as you place the RTK reference station where it has an unobstructed view of the sky, and your garden isn’t heavily wooded, this compact robot will do a terrific job of keeping your grass at your required height.

Having previously left my lawn to grow a little, I set the LUBA to a cutting height of 25mm and let it rip. After a few journeys out, the entire lawn was nicely shaved, the thin film of cuttings coating the LUBA evidencing its efforts. The onboard suspension and AWD really allows it to track undulations in the ground well, giving a beautiful, visibly consistent cut.

Object avoidance was faultless and the one – and only – time the mower lost its way was when the RTK reference base station was accidentally knocked off its mount. With useful features such as built-in headlights/sidelights, speed control and a choice of zero or multipoint turn (to reduce wear on the grass), this Luba lacks for little when it comes to convenience, especially when you consider the pricing. Definitely a pole position contender for my money.