Husqvarna Automower 260 ACX

This robomower not only maintains your lawn on its own, it will text for help when it has issues.

As if the idea of an electronic lawnmower that navigates your yard on its own weren’t absurd enough, Husqvarna has taken its Automower ‘bots to a new level of over-the-top tech advancement with the new 260 ACX, a robot lawnmower that actually has a cellular modem built in.

Why does your mower need to make phone calls?

To deal with the one problem it can’t deal with on its own: getting stuck.

Yes, the latest Automower in the fleet will send you a text message when it’s become snagged on that root, hooked on a branch, or run over the sprinkler you forgot. It dings a preprogrammed cell phone number with an automated alert, allowing you (or your gardener, if you can afford one of these) to go out and fix the issue with good old-fashioned manpower.

Like the rest of the mowers in the series, this one can handle up to an acre and a half of sod, and runs entirely on a NiMH battery pack that it can charge in about 40 minutes when it’s done. And if anyone tries to steal it – or an overly rambunctious kid flips it over – it shuts off the blades and sounds an alarm.

At the moment, this little beast is only available in Europe, where it sells for an intimating 4,000 Euros – about $5,300 USD. But if you’re willing to forego the cell feature, less advanced versions can be had stateside for less than $3,000. More information can be found over at Husqvarna.

Husqvarna Automower 260 ACX