Design and Features

• Impressive range of cutting heights
• Unbeatable IP66 protection from dust and water
• Relies on an RTK station for guidance

EGO has really pushed the boat out with the design of the AURA-R2. A hefty beast of a robot, its silver chassis looks like something out of a sci-fi film. It features EGO’s signature green accents and even light bars on the top. It’s a bold choice for a robot lawnmower, and one that I rather like.

Compared with some of the small and nippy robots on the market, such as the Segway Navimow i205 AWD, the AURA-R2 feels better suited to wide-open spaces. And seeing as the model that I have on review can cut up to 1,500m², that sounds about right. There are even bigger versions available that can cut up to 3,000m² or even a massive 6,000m².

Navigation is controlled by EGO’s PATH-IQ system. This combines satellite data with images from its AI-enhanced binocular camera, allowing the robot to move under tree cover with a few centimetres of precision. The robot uses Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity to stay in touch with your phone from wherever you are in the world.

The EGO Connect app controls everything. You can control up to 20 garden zones, adjust the cutting height, monitor the battery and blade health, and keep an eye on a whole range of other EGO tools too.

Something that might not please everyone is how the R2 gets its data though. It relies on an RTK statio: a small black box that connects with satellites for pinpoint garden guidance. You can mount it on a wall or on the top of a pole that costs an extra £59. It’s not a huge and unsightly thing to deal with, but some other robot mower brands have already stepped away from dedicated RTK stations.

Underneath the mower is a 24 cm wide cutting deck with three blades. I might have expected to see a few more blades for cutting efficiency on this beast of a robot, but it does a good job on the grass.  

You can select an impressively wide range of cut heights to suit a range of lawn goals. From an almost bowling green-like 20mm up to a wildflower-friendly 90mm, it’s great to see that level of customisation. And it’s controlled via the app, so you can have different lawn zones set to different heights- a welcome feature.

Although it’s not an all-terrain robot like the Mammotion Luba mini AWD, the R2 can tackle slopes up to 27˚ (51%) thanks to big chunky rear wheels. The pair of “shopping trolley” front wheels are big enough to get over bumps and dips in the lawn as well.

Setting itself apart from other robots on the lawn is the AURA R-2’s ingress protection credentials. Rated to IP66, it’s about as dust and waterproof as it gets, meaning you can wash both the chassis and underside with a pressure washer. It should also keep it safe out in the garden all year round.

Keeping things secure, this robot lawnmower can be locked to a Wi-Fi network. It’s also PIN protected and the geofence option creates a virtual boundary. If the R2 leaves the garden area an alarm sounds and an alert pings to your phone.

Performance

• Neat, parallel lines when cutting
• Obstacle avoidance is haphazard
• No getting lost under overhanging trees

Setting up the AURA-R2 took a bit longer than some other robots I’ve reviewed.  I needed to dig out a Torx screwdriver bit to remove a panel from the charging base. And needed it again to connect the RTK station to the pole. I think it’s a shame that one isn’t included in the box. Especially as I was far from home and my tools when testing.

Before I could get the robot to do anything like mapping, it took ages downloading firmware and software updates. It’s not a huge deal except I was left twiddling my thumbs in a test garden waiting for it to work.

I then installed the RTK station on top of its pole and finished setting up the EGO AURA-R2 Robot Lawnmower via the app. It’s relatively straightforward but the app did fail a couple of times before it let me start mapping the lawn.

The app controls the standard things like scheduling and mowing direction. However, you can’t watch the camera feed like you can on the Ecovacs GOAT or Mammotion Yuka mini.

The next thing that surprised me was the lack of auto mapping. Building lawn zones was a slower process compared with the almost instant experience found via LiDAR enabled robots. Unlike the Navimow i208 or Mammotion Yuka mini, I needed to drive the AURA-R2 around the lawn perimeter.

It’s not a problem, but at this price point I expected a little more automation from this robot lawnmower. However, driving the robot with the app like a remote control car was a lot of fun. EGO have done a good job with the controls.

After a couple of false starts and lost signals, I mapped out several zones in my test garden and defined the paths between them. One path goes through a gateway and along a strip of grass, but the R2 kept catching on the frame. Even though it’s a wide robot, it was annoying that it struggled with this minor obstacle. Eventually it made its way through, but it often bumped into objects that other robot lawnmowers have deftly sidestepped.

Once on the lawn though, the R2 showed its best side. A powerful machine, it happily chewed through grass and weeds much longer than other robots I have tested out. Pacing out nice, neat parallel lines, it performed well on wider expanses of lawn. To avoid causing ruts or bending the grass in one direction, the orientation of the mowing pattern changes each week. And it’s very quiet too at just under 60dB when cutting.

Another place where the R2 struggled was in its eccentric obstacle avoidance procedure. Whenever it bumped into a wall or hit a branch, it stopped the blades and drove in a wide arc around the offending area. This left large clumps of grass unmown until the next time when it managed to avoid it. It shows machine learning, but it’s the only robot mower I’ve tested that turns its blades off as often as this.

It also failed to see some smaller objects left on the lawn but did recognise me when I stepped in front of it. Happily, it managed to guide itself around under overhanging trees, so the cameras work when satellite reception is poor.

Should you buy it?