People spotting Toronto's fancy Roombas for cutting grass in parks are enthralled

This week's ideal sunny, warm weather has reawakened the city ahead of the official onset of summer next month, which means patios, beaches, and... weird park Roombas?

Multiple people have recently spotted some of the city's fancy radio remote-controlled slope mowers out and about, which are used to speedily and effectively cut grass — with no human needed to push them — in our green spaces during the balmier months.

Photos and videos shared to social media this past weekend show what appears to be the model Spider 2SGS, a nifty little guy with a low profile that can get under certain barriers.

It is also designed to withstand particularly hot temperatures like the ones we get in Toronto in peak season.

lawnmower roomba ran out of juice halfway across the hill https://t.co/fhblkF7G4x pic.twitter.com/NNlGfJfWmd

— Dan Seljak (@anotherglassbox) May 18, 2024

Toronto acquired two brand new units in 2022 and has a (very expensive) contract to receive two more of the latest models as fleet replacements each year until 2026.

According to council documents, the cutting-edge tech is expected to run the city nearly $500,000 even after HST recoveries, though could potentially end up being even more by the time the contract ends in two years.

However, given that suppliers boast the robot has "productivity comparable to that of 15 human workers using brush cutters," the City must find the investment into such mechanical vegetation management equipment to be worth it.