KEENON Robotics, a company that has shipped over 100,000 commercial service robots to businesses in over 600 cities, is now aiming its sophisticated automation technology at a new target: your unkempt lawn. The company today launched the Keenmow K1, a fully autonomous robotic lawn mower that ditches perimeter wires in favor of a 3D LiDAR-Vision fusion system. This marks a significant pivot from its usual territory of restaurants and hospitals into the fiercely competitive smart home market.
The Keenmow K1’s central claim to fame is its ability to create a high-precision 3D map of a garden, allowing for what KEENON calls a “set-and-forget” experience. By using its advanced sensor suite, the mower can intelligently identify and navigate around obstacles, from garden gnomes to forgotten toys. The company boasts that the K1’s motion control is precise enough to navigate through passages as narrow as 0.8 meters, a feat designed to eliminate the manual touch-ups required by less agile machines.
While the K1 was the main event, KEENON also showcased its other robotic wares, including its humanoid robot, XMAN-R1. Known for performing tasks like making popcorn and pouring drinks, the robot was on candy-distribution duty at the launch, demonstrating the company’s continued investment in general-purpose robotics. Also present were the C40 and C55 cleaning robots and the T10 delivery bot, reinforcing the company’s deep roots in the commercial service sector.
Why is this important?
KEENON’s entry into the consumer lawn care space is a classic example of commercial-grade technology trickling down to the consumer level. The shift from buried boundary wires to LiDAR and vision-based navigation is the current battleground for high-end robotic mowers. This approach eliminates the tedious and often frustrating process of installing a perimeter wire.
By leveraging its extensive experience in autonomous navigation from complex commercial environments, KEENON isn’t just another startup. It’s a global leader in commercial service robot shipments, according to IDC, and that expertise could give the Keenmow K1 a significant edge in reliability and intelligence. The move puts KEENON in direct competition with established players in the smart lawn care market, betting that its industrial-strength AI can finally deliver a truly hassle-free trim.
