The mowing robots are coming to a yard near you with the help of Wichita-based Lawn Buddy.
The local technology company has partnered with Texas-based Robin Autopilot to help facilitate the use of robot mowers by lawn-care businesses.
Robin’s fleet management system will now be fully integrated into Lawn Buddy’s business management software platform, allowing for the ability to track mowers on the job, monitor software and access wholesale pricing on parts and repairs.
"This is a milestone for the advancement of robots-as-a-service in the lawn maintenance and landscaping industry," Logan Fahey, CEO of Robin Autopilot, says in a press release. "Now, our users will be able to take advantage of the benefits of Lawn Buddy technology to virtually manage their crews in the field, simplify the invoicing process, and improve customer relationship management.”
The move helps tie Lawn Buddy — a finalist in the WBJ’s Inno Madness 2022 contest — to a growing trend in the lawn-care industry of the use of robot lawn mowers to help boost efficiency for operators and, ultimately, help them service more accounts and win more business.
"At Lawn Buddy, our mission is to provide business owners the advanced tools and technology to spend less time managing and more time working to build their businesses," says CEO Steven Werner. “We are proud to join with Robin Autopilot in their efforts to bring the benefits of innovative business management software and robotic mowing solutions to a growing number of lawn and landscaping professionals across the U.S."
As Fahey explains in a video, Robin Autopilot was originally founded in 2017 as a direct-to-consumer business for its eco-friendly robotic mowers that could be controlled through an app.
In 2018, the company started franchising the model throughout the U.S. and landed an appearance on ABC’s entrepreneurial pitch show “Shark Tank.”
Fahey Group, one of the early franchisees, acquired Robin Autopilot in July 2019.
The company has since transitioned to a subscription-based model that allows consumers through their landscape provider keep the robot mower at their homes for continual lawn maintenance. That service is then supplemented with other landscaping needs by the provider.
