Segway Navimow CEO on why it won't be 'simply piling on features' in its robot lawn mowers

Today's robot lawn mowers are more capable than ever. I had a sneak peek at most brands' new models at CES 2026, and there's certainly some exciting new tech on offer. However, when I caught up with George Ren, CEO of leading lawnbot brand Segway Navimow, to find out more about the company's plans, he emphasized that they weren't interested in feature wars.

"Rather than simply piling on features for the sake of more functionality, we're working to ensure that our range truly meets consumers' needs and addresses pain points," he says. "I have always hoped that technology can truly be applied to people's daily needs."

He goes on to clarify that the original intention of the brand is to "liberate time", in both household and business use. That might be homeowners having more leisure time that's not taken up by tedious chores, or park administrators having more energy to care for their plants.

A new mindset

"The core challenge Navimow faces is not a single technological breakthrough, but rather how to deeply integrate hardcore robotics technology with real-life scenarios, and build a brand ecosystem with emotional resonance," explains George. "[It's] how to make technology invisible through our R&D – users don't care about RTK or AI algorithms, but only about whether lawn mowing is aesthetically pleasing and whether product use is hassle-free."

Functionally, that means robot mowers that can handle whatever the terrain throws at them, without getting stuck or churning up the lawn, have good enough navigation systems that they never get lost and need rescuing, and can mow a lawn completely without the need for a human to go back in and finish the job.

"We have spent a great deal of effort optimizing adaptability to extreme weather, handling of complex terrains, and even simulating the random path patterns of manual mowing to make the results of machine operations closer to the 'texture of human care',' he continues. "This requires the team to break out of engineer thinking and redefine technical standards from the perspectives of gardeners and users."

The 2026 Segway Navimow lineup includes a compact mower that uses LiDAR – a navigation technology that's perfect for smaller yards with lots of obstacles, and one of the big 2026 robot mower trends. A second compact mower (the i2 AWD) has all-wheel drive and is designed to be able to make tight turns without damaging the lawn. The other main addition is the Navimow X4 Series, which is built to handle large residential spaces with efficiency and precision.

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