Sunseeker hosted dealers, mowing professionals and media in Monroe, N.C., to celebrate the official launch of its first wireless robotic mower, the Orion X7.
“We’re launching the product today, it’s in stock and we’re ready to get the product in the hands of as many dealers and distributors as possible,” Justin Novosel, executive vice president and general manager of North American operations told LM.
As part of the launch, Sunseeker introduced three models with max mowing areas ranging from 0.75 to 3 acres.
According to Matt Moore, director of robotics sales, the Orion X7 sets itself apart from other robotic mowers on the market because of its unique vision system. During a morning presentation, Moore explained how the company married RTK satellite positioning with VSLAM (Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), artificial vision and a deep-learning system.
“The ability of the system, not just to rely on one way of navigation, is a huge difference. A lot of systems on the market have that singularity, whereas ours has (it all),” he said. “The fusion of technology we’ve built into the system allows you to completely automate the system and not need much interaction at all.”
On top of its enhanced vision systems, the X7 has a cutting width of 14 inches, with auto height adjustment between 0.8 and 4.0 inches.
For Moore and Novosel the event allowed them to get feedback from attendees who have tested the X7 in the field.
“If you think we could do something better, we want you to tell us,” he said. “We’re going to invent something one way and someone could have another idea to enhance the product. Having that constant feedback from customers and communication with our engineers will help us develop the product more completely.”
Coming soon …
In addition to the Orion X7, Sunseeker showcased new mowers set to launch later in 2024, including the X22 — a successor to its L22 model.
“(The X22) has a similar system (to the X7), just with a smaller footprint made for smaller yards — more like townhomes and small areas like the postage-stamp yards,” said Moore.
Moore and Novosel added that the most common question they received during the event was “What’s next from Sunseeker?” For them, that’s a reassuring question. It signals, to them, that they’re on the right path with the company’s new products.
“It’s a great feeling to have. (Our customers) going to be invested in us and we’re invested in them,” Moore said. “You know how it is. As soon as you come out with technology, it’s like you gave a kid a new toy, they play with it for a day and all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Hey, I want the next one.’”