iStockphoto / Scharfsinn86
For most of our lives we have been sold a narrative that ‘in the future’ all of our menial tasks will be taken care of by robots. If that narrative is to be believed, this remote-controlled Koham Mower might mean we have entered the future.
The lawn mowers have gone viral across TikTok, with one video receiving over 6,500 comments and 16.4 million views. Viewers are amazed by the remote-controlled Koham Mowers and express how much better their lawns would look if they had this technology.
Viral Remote-Controlled Koham Mower Adds Gamification To Lawn Care
To be clear, there are millions of Americans who take the utmost pride in their lawns. They enjoy the act of mowing their lawn and having the finest grass on the block.
A survey from GreenPal found that 23.2% of Americans spend 2-3 hours each week maintaining their lawns, and 21.8% of respondents reported 4 or more hours a week.
Koham Mowers may not be for them but it is clear this hands-free mower, which is controlled remotely by a handheld remote similar to a video gaming console controller, is something a lot of people would be interested in, myself included.
Gamification Of Chores
A guiding force in my life for accomplishing tasks or goals that I simply cannot bring myself to do I turn to gamification. Simplified, ‘gamification’ is adding aspects of a game to something that is not a game.
An example in my own life would be the ‘leaderboard’ at CycleBar spin classes where we compete against one another on power output, encouraging each of us to work harder.
In this instance, adding a video game controller to a remote Koham Mower that is full capable of off-roading feels like it is barely one-step removed from playing an actual video game!
@koham.mowers The KOHAM off-road remote control lawn mower has strong climbing stability.#lawntiktok #kohamb2b #OEMmowers #kohammowers #kohammowersfactory
Everyone is impressed
The beauty of these electric remote-controlled KohaM Mowers are they appeal to a lot of people for different reasons.
On TikTok, the top comment with 9,340 ‘likes’ is from @J.R.MartinSmed who wrote “I would totally start a landscape business if I had one of these!!!” The suggestion there is that if they could run a business without doing any work themselves it would be glorious, something we can all agree with.
The next comment down is one I am very much aligned with. User @kind.of.gentle wrote “as someone who has been covered in poison ivy I appreciate this.” See, it’s not just about doing less work!
There are practical reasons this would improve the lives of lawn mowers and landscapers. It would protect against poison ivy and poison oak. Mowers would no longer have to worry about rogue rocks hitting them, or shredding dog poop that gets sprayed all over their jeans.
They’re not cheap!
On the Koham Mowers’ website, most of the mowers do not have prices listed. Instead, they have ‘send inquiry’ information where potential buyers reach out for a quote.
There is at least one model listed with a price, however. The KH-LM8023B electric remote control mower has a listed price of $5,280.
That is STEEP when you consider that the highest-end electric mowers currently on the market retail for between $600 to ~$3,000, according to analysis from iRobotUp.
A $5K+ electric Koham Mower that is controlled by a remote control isn’t for everyone. It is expensive, and still requires doing the work. Users will also be limited by battery life. But at the end of the day, robot lawn mowers sure feels like a ‘the future is now’ moment.