The manufacturer says that their Cub Cadet Force S is the first zero-turn riding mower with a steering wheel instead of bars. That's something that I'm sure will turn on many lawn mowing aficionados. I just want to ride it through Central Park and write "ALIENS, LAND HERE" on Sheep Meadow. [Cub Cadet via Uncrate]

That's pretty much the whole story. There are no before-and-after shots of the mower, which may have in fact been the tractor shown below. There's no photo of the no-doubt dumbfounded dude, a gardener, as it happens, in Croatia. There isn't even an explanation of what the grenade was doing in the yard, save for the statement, from the Zagreb police, that "someone had thrown the grenade into his garden."

Know your enemies, buddy. Apparently, competition for this year's All-Croatia Flower-Growing Tournament is already heating up. [Croatian Times via Asbury Park Press (go Springsteen!)]

At the University of South Denmark, Kjeld Jensen has developed a robotic lawnmower called the Casmobot which can be controlled using your Wiimote. Using Bluetooth, the Wiimote communicates to a receiver in the Casmobot. It can be controlled manually, or be completely automated. Jensen says:

"We have been introducing [Casmobot] to the professional workers at the municipalities and the minute they got this Wiimote in their hands and started cutting grass, they were smiling and laughing all the time so I guess I'm not the only one that thinks this is a very good idea."

"This robotics module could, in theory, be put in to any kind of vehicle. In theory, you could actually take this module and put it in to a wheelchair, and walk your grandma just by sitting inside at the window and using your Wiimote."

Unfortunately, if I did that, my cantankerous Grandma would probably spit in my face, so why yes, an old-fashioned walk would be lovely. [Gossip Gamers]

That's "Hustler" as in "Hustler Turf," not "Hustler Magazine Where You Can See Bewbs" (sorry guys). However, not only is the Zeon emissionless, it also runs silent so your neighbors won't hate you for blowing out their eardrums. The Hustler Turf designers ditched the traditional steering wheel in favor of two handles that enable a true zero-degree turning radius.

The Zeon is good for 80 minutes of mowing time on a charge and has a 42-inch side discharge deck for maximum grass chopping. No word on pricing yet. [Hustler via Uncrate]

Evatech's latest and greatest R/C "hybrid" mower can be manned from up to 2,000 feet away as it takes on 70-degree slopes at 8MPH. Its track system not only creates stability—it's perfect for winter traction as you can plow your driveway with a shovel attachment. Keep in mind, since the 22T can both cut grass and plow snow, you're really only paying about $6,000 per function—that's like half the listed price!

But without a seat and/or cupholder, I'm just not sure that I can justify the purchase. EvaTech]

Okay, so the ball could be considered more a plaything, while the grass disks are perhaps more suited for piling up as ad-hoc lawn chairs. Although there's always the possibility of a game of giant grass Frisbee... How many sneezes and streaming eyes would that set off, I wonder? Those grass "bails" would easy to pick up and chuck onto the compost pile too.

Nice lateral thinking here, and for once it's a concept that I'd love a manufacturer to get to grips with for real. [Yanko design]

According to a detailed 84-page filing, various configurations are on the table, including all-electric model and a gasoline-electric hybrid. The filing also depicts several acoustic and optical sensors that will allow the robot to "avoid hard surfaces, water and other barriers," in addition to its main job: cut grass. The robot can even sense uncut grass and make sure the blades are aligned properly.







Other features gleaned from the filing by Robot Stock News:

• A possible edge trimmer along the outside edge of the chassis.
• The possibility of collecting clippings and depositing them at a specified location
• The possibility of using RFID tags or proximity sensors to avoid running into pets or people
• The possibility of learning your lawn in the first cutting and remembering it for future cuttings
• The inclusion of grass-combing technology to ensure that the grass is fluffed and properly oriented for cutting

[Robot Stock News]

If that wasn't enough, the mower will also trim your grass short enough that you don't have to bother with bagging. And when the job is done, it will return to its charging base for around 40 minutes—which is about the same amount of time you will get out of a single charge. It is also capable of mowing around 7,500 square feet of grass and it can be programmed to work at certain times or days of the week. Sure, it costs £2,000 ($4,000), but in the battle for suburban dominance, there is no room for second place. Hit the link to check out the mower in action. [Megawat and Pocket-Lint]

[CG Forums via Autoblog via Jalopnik]

Wired tested out four of the latest electric lawnmowers on the market and broke it down real simple. What did they think?

The Worx WG712: 4th Place

They liked how light it was but hated its terrible handling and custom wheels.

Cub Cadet CC500 EL: 3rd Place

This one handled better, but it was corded, wah-wah-wahhh.

Black & Decker 24V CMM1200: 2nd Place

This one might be able to trick your friends into thinking it's a regular lawnmower, both in looks and performance. Although like an iPod its battery is locked inside so its extinction clock is ticking.

Sunlawn EM-2: The Winner

This guy looks straight out of yesteryear but added all of the modern benefits of today. It's nice and tiny like your grandpa's mower, but cuts like one from today. But they did complain about the miniature grass clipping catcher.

And there you have it. Four mowers went in, and only the Sunlawn EM-2 came out. Now you have no excuse for your yard to be in shambles.– Ben Longo

Summer Test: Electric Lawn Mowers [Wired]

The LawnBott may look like Arnold Schwarznegger's cycling helmet, but it's actually a cordless, remote-controlled lawnmower with a flat blade that mulches the grass as it cuts it. Charge it up on its docking station and it will go for 4 hours—or 33,000 square feet—on one single charge. It's apparently so quiet that you can let it run all night without bugging the neighbors, it doesn't mind a bit of light rain, and a heavier shower will send it toddling back to its base station like the obedient little robot it is.

It does hills—anything up to a 1:4 gradient, in fact—and only uses around $7 to $10 of electricity each year. The downside is the price: the LB2000 Professional will set you back $1,749. – Ad Dugdale

Press Release [Productivity Inc. via Sci-Fi Tech]

Although this electric mower—with its 14-inch cutting width and humming motor—is no 12,000RPM super mower, it looks like it will get the job done. The next step is to roboticize this machine (which has already been done with a cordless lawnmower but not very well) like a roomba, and then you won't have to cut the grass ever again. – Charlie White

Product Page [Neuton, via Consumer Electronics Net]

Although Amazon is obviously no longer delivering, the Toro Company is located in Minnesota, which is still listed as a code yellow zone of infection according to the Homeland Security website. Better take the drive and grab one of these bad boys now, while you still can. That weed whacker just isn't going to do the same job when it counts.

Why not a bigger mower, you ask? Because when the shit really hits the fan, you'll have to reach your dainty digits inside either edge of the spinning blades and loft the Lawn Boy like a righteous, ichor-gobbling shield. Flexibility counts.

Catalog Page [Amazon]

Got the NOS Mower, Brah! [Jalopnik]