Robot mowers, dog poop and kids: what they see and what they miss
Will a robot mower drive through dog poop, and is it safe with children? How cameras, LiDAR and bumpers compare, and the settings that help most.
Updated
Check with pets on the lawnWhich of these fit your lawn?
Dog owners and parents ask the same two things before buying a robot mower: will it drive through dog poop, and is it safe with the kids around? The short answers are "sometimes" and "yes, with a few habits". How well a mower avoids things on the lawn depends mostly on how it sees. 78 of the 87 wire-free models we track have a camera, 35 have a laser scanner, and 1 rely on bumping into things.
This guide explains what each type of sensor can and can't catch, what the safety rules require of every robot mower, and the settings that do more than any sensor.
How mowers see what's on the lawn
A bumper only knows something is there once it has hit it. Fine for a fence post. No help at all with dog poop or a toy lying flat in the grass. A laser scanner (LiDAR) is very good at measuring distance, so a ball or a garden chair gets spotted early; something low and flat often doesn't. Only a camera with object recognition can work out what it's looking at, and that's what you need for pet waste, a hose or a small toy. Plenty of current models carry both a camera and LiDAR.
Cameras miss things too, mostly at dusk, on wet grass, and when the object is small and flat. The brands that advertise pet-waste detection are careful about it: they say it reduces the problem, not that it solves it.
Obstacle sensing by brand
| Brand | Models | Camera | LiDAR | Bumper only |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Segway Navimow | 15 | 15 | 5 | – |
| Mammotion | 13 | 13 | 9 | – |
| Husqvarna | 8 | – | – | 1 |
| Roborock | 7 | 7 | 2 | – |
| Dreame | 6 | 5 | 6 | – |
| Ecovacs | 6 | 6 | 4 | – |
| Mova | 5 | 5 | 5 | – |
| Hookii | 4 | 4 | 4 | – |
| Worx | 4 | 4 | – | – |
| Airseekers | 3 | 3 | – | – |
| Anthbot | 3 | 3 | – | – |
| Eufy | 3 | 3 | – | – |
| Sunseeker | 3 | 3 | – | – |
| GOKO | 2 | 2 | – | – |
| Lymow | 2 | 2 | – | – |
| Greenworks | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| RoboUP | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| Yarbo | 1 | 1 | – | – |
Number of models per brand on sale in at least one of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, from the makers' specs. Many models have both a camera and LiDAR. Each model page lists its sensors.
Dogs
The mess is one problem; the dog is the other. Some dogs lose interest after a day. Others bark at it or chase it for weeks. Run the mower when the dog is indoors or out on its walk and you avoid both. Diggers leave holes that catch a wheel, and an all-wheel-drive mower gets out of those more easily.
Pick a camera model if you have a dog, and look on the model page for "camera" under obstacle sensing. Then set a routine: a quick look over the lawn before the first run of the day does more than any spec sheet.
Children
Every robot mower sold in these countries has to pass the safety standard for robotic mowers. Lift it or tip it and the blades have to stop almost instantly, and the housing has to keep fingers and toes out. The blades are a few small razor blades on a disc. Nothing like the long steel blade under a push mower.
It's still a machine on a lawn where children play, so we'd add a few habits. Turn on the PIN or child lock, so the buttons don't start it. Clear the toys before it runs. Schedule it for school hours or after bedtime. For more margin, choose a model with a camera and LiDAR; those tend to stop well before they touch anything.
Hedgehogs
Night mowing is where it goes wrong. Hedgehogs and frogs come out after dark, and a hedgehog's answer to danger is to curl up on the spot. Keep the mower to daylight. Several brands in the UK now block night mowing out of the box. For the rest of the British picture, see our UK guide.
Ponds and retaining walls
Mowers do occasionally end up in a pond or over a low wall after drifting off their line. Leave a gap when you map the edge there. In the fit check, tick the box for water or a drop next to the lawn; it flags the models without fall protection. If the mower has to cross a deck or a path near the pool, the multiple lawns guide covers paths.
Common questions
Will a robot mower run over dog poop?
It can. 78 of the 87 models we track have a camera for spotting obstacles, and some brands train it to recognise pet waste, but none promise to catch every pile. Small or flattened piles are the ones that get missed. The only sure way is to walk the lawn before the mower runs, or to schedule it for after your usual clean-up.
Are robot mowers safe around children?
They are much safer than a push mower, but they are not toys. The blades are small and stop when the mower is lifted or tipped, which the safety standard for robotic mowers requires. The risk is a small hand or foot reaching under the body while it is running. Keep children off the lawn while it mows, use the child lock or PIN in the app, and set it to run when they are at school or asleep.
Do robot mowers hurt hedgehogs?
They can, because hedgehogs forage at night and curl up instead of running. UK wildlife charities advise running robot mowers in daylight only. Most apps let you set mowing hours, and some brands block night mowing by default. Obstacle cameras help, but makers do not promise they will spot a curled-up hedgehog.
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