Robot lawn mowers

GPS, RTK, Vision, or LiDAR: How Do Robot Mowers Know Where They Are?

Published September 23, 2026 · By the BotLineup editors · Prices and specs as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

Ordinary GPS, the kind in your phone, can be off by a few meters, which isn't good enough to trace a lawn edge. RTK fixes that by using a reference point with a known location to cancel out satellite errors, bringing accuracy down to centimeters. RTK still struggles where the sky is blocked, so many mowers add cameras, 3D sensors, or LiDAR to cover the spots satellites can't reach.

GPS vs. RTK

Satellite positioning calculates location from several satellite signals. Atmospheric effects and other factors introduce errors, so plain GPS can't reliably separate lawn from flower bed.

RTK subtracts those errors using correction data from a reference station in or near your yard, or from a network service over a cellular or internet connection. Some mowers ship with a station you install yourself; others rely on network RTK, which only works where the service has coverage.

Sensors that fill the gaps

Next to walls, under tall trees, and in passages between buildings, even RTK can wander. Other sensors help:

Cameras (vision): estimate position from lawn edges and surroundings, and spot obstacles.
3D ToF: measures the shape and distance of objects ahead to avoid them.
LiDAR: measures distance to nearby objects with a laser and matches it against the map.

How current mowers combine them

ECOVACS GOAT O1000 RTK: RTK plus cameras and 3D ToF, with an RTK reference station in the box.
Lymow One Plus: RTK plus VSLAM, which builds a map and tracks position from camera images. A reference station is included.
ANTHBOT M5 LiDAR: 360° LiDAR and dual cameras, with no RTK at all.

Start with your own yard

Instead of ranking technologies in the abstract, walk your yard and note where the sky is blocked. The more of those spots you have, the more it matters what a mower uses besides RTK.

Shopping for one? Find a robot mower for your yard →

Sources

We have not tested these products. Specs, prices, stock and terms are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; check the manufacturer or retailer before you buy.

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