Homeowners rely on lawn sprinkler systems to maintain their lawns. But those systems tend to waste a lot of water, can be costly to maintain, and sometimes do a mediocre — or worse — job of actually keeping grass alive.
Growver is a lawn-watering robot that saves water by irrigating the lawn as it goes. Water sensors in the robot detect which areas of the yard are dry so that Growver can revive them. It works in conjunction with an Android, iOS and Windows app that enables users to track how their lawns are doing over time, adjust water levels, and also control Growver remotely.
The robot drives back and forth over the lawn and waters a 20-inch wide path. First, Growver’s sensors guide it along the boundary wire. After watering the perimeter, the product fills in the entire area using patent-pending sensor technology to follow the wet-dry transition. Measurements via grass moisture sensors and water-flow data also let Growver intelligently adjust watering depth. It stops automatically when the entire area is watered.
Growver ships in March at $400 for a version with a 300-foot perimeter wire or $450 for a version with a 600-foot perimeter wire. But Kickstarter backers can get the entry-level one for a $325 pledge and early bird Kickstarter backers can get the 600-foot perimeter one for a pledge starting at $325. Backers can also loan one for 18 months starting this July with a $100 pledge. Growver’s makers hope to raise $100,000 by May 11.
Although Growver can detect if it gets stuck and will pause irrigation, users should –- unlike with a traditional lawn sprinkler system –- make certain that there aren’t obstacles on the lawn, or it might be pausing often. Some consumers might prefer devices like the Sprinkl smart watering system or Eve smart irrigation system instead.