China’s robot makers are navigating regulatory uncertainty in a race to conquer the next tech frontier: mowing lawns.
Segway owner Ninebot, vacuum cleaner makers like Roborock, and startups showcased their latest products at IFA Berlin, Europe’s biggest electronics trade show, which took place from September 4 to 8. Europe is currently the biggest market for robot lawn mowers, which cut grass while moving autonomously using sensors and cameras.
Among the exhibitors were Shenzhen-based LDRobot, which sells mowers under the Anthbot brand. After establishing itself as a supplier of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors used in robot vacuum cleaners, the company identified robot lawn mowers as a promising category that it could enter without directly competing with its customers, co-founder and CEO Gavin Guo told Nikkei Asia in an interview.
Since launching its first product in 2024, robot lawn mowers have quickly become a core growth driver for the company. They generated RMB 200 million (USD 29.7 million) in revenue in the first six months of this year, more than doubling from the same period a year ago and making up 38% of total revenue.
“We aim to rank among the top three in the industry within three years,” Guo said. He added that the company will expand after-sales service operations, including at its German subsidiary.
China has little domestic demand for robot lawn mowers, as most homes don’t have the kind of green spaces seen in many American residences. But Chinese exporters that can make affordable and tech-packed machines have become the dominant force in Western countries, where some users are switching from push mowers. Global shipments of robotic lawn mowers grew 63.8% year on year in 2025 to 1.992 million units, with the top six players all Chinese manufacturers, according to IDC.
Muxin, which is also based in Shenzhen and sells under the TerraMow brand, said the advantage its robots hold is a three-camera system that maps out the lawn and detects obstacles without having to rely on LiDAR or GPS technology, making it more affordable and easy to deploy. Its products are sold for between EUR 669 (USD 777.6) and EUR 1,149 (USD 1,335.6) on its website.
CEO Harry Zhang, who worked at drone giant DJI before founding Muxin in 2019, says simplicity is key because many robot lawn mower users are old and are not used to the complexity of utilizing smartphones to set up a device.
The rapid rise of Chinese players in the nascent robot lawn mower market is reminiscent of robot vacuum cleaners, where US pioneer iRobot was acquired by its Chinese supplier in January. Major robot vacuum cleaner Roborock, which began selling its first lineup of robot lawn mowers this year, said in its financial report published last week that it has “achieved a strategic extension from indoor to outdoor cleaning.”
Yet their foray into the US was dealt a major setback last month, when the Federal Communications Commission issued new rules that prohibit imports of new advanced robotic devices that are deemed to “pose unacceptable risks to national security.”
Lawn mower makers consider the move a blanket ban on new products because the definition of an advanced robotic device is broad, such as being capable of “movement on the ground,” having network connectivity and weighing over 4.4 pounds, or about two kilograms.
The new regulation is “a very big risk for all the companies in this area,” said Zhang. “It is a very fundamental limitation for robotic products.”
He said that while there is demand for its products globally, the US presents the biggest business opportunity because lawns are large and require powerful robots that come with a higher price tag. He warned that the new rules will produce “no winners.”
LDRobot’s Guo agreed that the FCC requirements are “extremely strict” and said the company is exploring expanding in other countries. “Our market is certainly global. We are considering regions such as Australia, other countries in the Southern Hemisphere and other parts of Europe.”
Regulatory risk is also looming in Europe. Following a complaint lodged by Swedish lawn mower maker Husqvarna, the European Commission initiated anti-dumping investigations against Chinese robot lawn mowers last year. The complaint alleges that products are being dumped by Chinese producers with ties to state authorities, and are crippling the local manufacturing industry. The European Commission will make a decision in January 2027.
This article first appeared on Nikkei Asia. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei.
Note: EUR, GBP, RMB figures are converted to USD at rates of EUR 0.86 = USD 1 and GBP 0.74 = USD 1 and RMB 6.73 = USD 1 based on estimates as of September 8, 2026, unless otherwise stated. USD conversions are presented for ease of reference and may not fully match prevailing exchange rates.