The new Eufy robotic lawn mowers use intelligent vision to trim the grass.

The Eufy lifestyle brand by Anker has managed to capture a significant portion of the robot vacuum market and is now focused on garden care. Since the beginning of the year, the company has shared information about its first two robotic lawn mowers, the E15 and E18, which are designed to make one of the most tedious household tasks more manageable, provided that the consumer is willing to invest in them.

I had the opportunity to test the E15 for a few weeks before its official launch, and the experience has been quite positive. Initial robotic mowers required a perimeter wire to define their working area, which meant digging a trench around the garden—a process that is both slow and costly, not to mention impractical if you eventually decide to move. This led companies to seek alternatives like GPS or real-time kinematics (RTK) for navigation. However, Eufy has chosen to leverage its expertise in computer vision to offer more efficient cutting, using a technology called "fully visual autonomous driving" (vFSD).

The E15 can cover areas of up to 800 square meters, while the E18 can handle terrains of up to 1,200 square meters. While one might think the difference between the two models lies in battery size, both feature a 4,200mAh battery; the distinction is that the E18 has more onboard memory to handle a larger map. Although they share similar features, such as an adjustable cutting height between 25 and 75 mm, an ascent capability of 18 degrees, and a combined GPS and 4G anti-theft system, the E15 stands out for having a rain-covered garage, reducing concerns in bad weather, as well as an IPX6 rating, allowing for hose cleaning.

Setting up the E15 is a straightforward task as long as the grass is well-cut and does not exceed 3.5 inches in height. You only need to secure the garage with screws in the ground, connect it to electricity, and link it to your home Wi-Fi network. Then, it needs to perform one or two mapping runs to familiarize itself with the space. My garden has a slope with a sunken path and a drop of 1.5 meters on one end, which posed a challenge. While visually mapping, I decided to supervise the mower during this process to prevent it from falling into the abyss. After a few risky attempts towards the green-roofed structure, I paused the mapping and set up an exclusion zone in the app, which allowed the E15 to properly delimit the rest of the area.

From that point on, all management of the mower is done through the app. You can adjust the cutting height, set the moving and cutting speed according to the available time, as well as schedule cuts. Additionally, the device is designed to return to its base if it detects rain or excessive moisture on the grass.

One feature that I find interesting is that this model allows you to define the cutting direction to create stripes on the lawn. While you don’t achieve the perfectly trimmed stripe like in a tennis club, the contrast can be noticeable. Another benefit is the remote control option, which allows access to the mower's camera and directing it from anywhere, which can be very useful if there are any unexpected issues.

A particularity that surprised my family during their visit was how quiet the E15 is. When I decided to turn it on, they were amazed at the little noise it made while operating. This feature is very advantageous, especially if you schedule a cut in the early hours of the morning, as it barely interferes with the tranquility of the surroundings.

Overall, Eufy's proposal is attractive and has exceeded some of my expectations regarding computer vision technology. However, there are certain limitations that remain in this product category. For instance, robotic mowers may not reach every corner of the lawn, especially in areas with deep corners, meaning you will still need an edge trimmer for around your garden. Additionally, I would like to have more control during the initial mapping phase, ideally using my phone to outline the space, which could reduce the trial-and-error time.

The Eufy E15 (800 m²) and E18 (1,200 m²) lawn mowers are available for order starting today, with prices of $1,599 and $1,999, respectively.