
The Roomba lawnmower is finally happening - Isamu
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/01/the-roomba-lawnmower-is-finally-happening/
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nkurz
From what I can tell, robotic lawnmowers currently more common in Europe than
in the US. I don't think I've ever seen one in the US, but in Norway they
seemed to be everywhere. Is there a reason for this disparity?

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petermcneeley
So interesting!

Labor and capital(robotics) are substitutes. Thus in a cheap labor market
(USA) anybody that would use a robot instead simply uses human landscapers.

It is quite common in the USA to see humans doing what would be automated work
in First world countries.

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JBReefer
The USA is literally the definition of a First World country

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World)

I get what you're going for, HN loves to hate on the US.

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craftyguy
Maybe they forgot an 'other':

> It is quite common in the USA to see humans doing what would be automated
> work in _other_ First world countries.

I get what you're going for, HN loves to not give any benefit of doubt.

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brad0
If you haven't watched the roombas spreading dog turds around the house on
youtube I highly recommend it.

I wonder what the equivalent of that will be for the outdoors?

The safety implications worry me too. I'm surprised they don't discuss this in
the article.

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gumby
They've been on the market for years so if they were a real problem we'd know
about it (they do run over some small wildlife; I posted a link on another
thread).

This is simply one company coming late to a crowded market and hoping for some
press.

