Border wipes may be quickly becoming a saga past, but modern robotic lawn lawn mowing navigation technology is not without its problems. Most lawns find their way around using satellites with an RTK receiver to make the location information more accurate. Sometimes this is combined with backup technology such as VSLAM and/or cameras.
Mammotion’s latest launch brings things to another level with a triple-shaped approach that includes RTK, a 3D camera and solid-state Lidar. The inclusion of Lidar is the most interesting (so interesting that mammoth has called it out in the product name: Luba Mini Awd Lidar) – This is the navigation technology that runs today’s best robot wacuum, but I have never seen it used in a robot machine before.
The idea is that the Luba Mini Awd Lidar will switch between these different navigation technologies to offer “± 1 cm precision in any situation”. Each technology has its strengths and weaknesses, and that is why adding different options makes sense.
Lidar works by emitting light rays and measuring how long they take to jump back and then use this information to build a map of an area and everything in it. It is very accurate and great for closed spaces with things in them (hence its popularity with robot vacuum), but less in open areas that lack objects to reject.
RTK is your default Lawnbot technology. It is less accurate than Lidar and depends on a direct line of lineage to a number of satellites in the sky, which means it can struggle to operate under trees or in narrow passages. However, it is perfect for wide, open areas.
The 3D camera is useful for object identification and avoidance, but it needs light to function properly. In contrast, RTK and Lidar both work in the dark and are effective in shaded areas.
With Mammotion’s “Tri -Fusion” technology, Luba Mini AWD Lidar automatically chooses the best approach to a given space. So when there is a poor satellite signal, Lidar may be kicking in, so in open areas missing from obstacles, RTK would take over as the primary source of positioning.
This brand already produces some of the most advanced robot gauges around (the head of Techradar’s Mammotion Luba 2 AWD Review for a keys), so I am thrilled to see how this new addition goes up after seeing it in action in IFA 2025.
