Lawn and garden goes high-tech
The lawn-and-garden category is getting some high-tech updates, thanks to innovation from the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and Husqvarna.
Scotts: Scotts unveiled its new “Connected Yard” platform at the 2016 SXSW Interactive festival in Austin, Texas, which centers on a platform called Gro.
The Gro platform will be capable of understanding recent weather and rainfall, requirements for different types of plants in different parts of the yard, information about the local soil type, and appropriate seasonal instructions for lawn care.
Hardware partners that helped make the technology possible are a combination of sensor and water controller manufacturing partners. They include smart water controllers Blossom, Rachio, Green IQ and Lono, and soil sensor companies PlantLink and Parrot. These technologies enable the careful monitoring and control of watering levels, adjusting for the soil’s moisture content and the weather forecast.
Husqvarna: Husqvarna’s Automower robotic mowers are getting an Apple Watch update that makes lawn care possible to control with the flick of a wrist.
The AutomowerConnect app allows users to remotely control, configure and monitor the Husqvarna Automower 320, 330X and 450X models.
“Twenty-one years ago, Husqvarna set the first robotic mower on the market, and we have been pushing the technological frontier ever since,”said Olle Markusson, robotic category manager at Husqvarna.
The one-touch display allows users to monitor the status of the mower, send it to “Start,” Stop” and “Park,” configure the settings, receive notifications, and track its position in case of theft.