Over the course of the past few years, technology has continued to evolve at an unprecedented, exponential rate. Now, more so than ever before, new applications are being found for these advances, with one of the growing trends of robotics being their use in everyday home care. From vacuums to mops and now lawn mowers, these age-old traditions are now being reinvented through a bold new lens. This shift from gadgetry to seamless automation is encapsulated by KEENON’s KeenMow, the product debuted at the 2026 CES, an example of how advanced autonomy is finally reaching home care.
The rise of “invisible” home robots
Modern robotics aims not to wow with complexity but to disappear into daily life. In this sector, products like robotic vacuums and window cleaners paved the way. These advanced tools are able to take a tremendous amount of stress off of human homekeepers and provide an autonomous ‘invisible’ assistance.
Why lawn mowing is a new frontier
While indoor home-cleaning tools have been an established facet of the market for several years now, outdoor tools have proven to be substantially more difficult and complex.
Outdoor automation lags behind due to environmental unpredictability. Mowing has still largely been manual or constrained by outdated tech like boundary wires or GPS-only systems. However, thanks to bold new applications, such as KEENON’S KeenMow, this no longer has to be the case.
The KeenMow robotic lawn mower is designed for household gardens within 1,500m². Instead of relying on boundary wires, RTK base stations, or complicated setup processes, KeenMow uses a three-dimensional Lidar integrated with an AI-aided perception system to understand its surroundings. The system combines AI vision with laser radar, allowing the mower to build a detailed, centimeter-level model of the environment as it works. In practice, this means it doesn’t need external infrastructure to know where it is or where it should go.
Case in point: KEENON’s KeenMow
Through the use of 3D Lidar and AI, KeenMow is able to map and navigate without infrastructure. This approach is especially useful in the kinds of yards many homeowners actually have. Dense trees, overhangs, narrow side paths, irregular lawn shapes, and partial roof coverage can interfere with GPS-based systems or make traditional boundary setups frustrating.
KeenMow is designed to handle these situations by constructing a 3D map in real time, even in areas with limited signal or tight physical constraints. In many ways, KEENON’S KeenMow is indicative of a deeper shift: robots that adapt to homes instead of forcing homes to adapt to them.
One of the more practical examples of this design philosophy is KEENON’s NarrowPass function. KeenMow is able to pass through spaces as narrow as 0.8 meters, which allows it to handle areas that are often left unmowed or require manual trimming. In addition, KeenMow’s Bump-free function doesn’t just detect obstacles; it identifies them. Its AI vision system can distinguish between different types of objects, such as flower beds, fences, pets, or garden features, and respond accordingly.
The broader movement in home robotics
Now KEENON are pushing beyond indoors. The end goal is minimal setup, minimal oversight, and maximum autonomy. Home maintenance could become more about setting preferences than doing chores. Products will succeed not just by working, but by disappearing from our mental to-do lists.
KeenMow signals a move away from rigid setups and frequent tweaks. It’s designed for gardens that don’t conform to a standard shape and for those who prefer hassle-free lawn maintenance. Essentially, KeenMow isn’t about reinventing lawn care but subtly taking it off your to-do list.
Digital Trends partners with external contributors. All contributor content is reviewed by the Digital Trends editorial staff.
