At IFA 2026 in Berlin, robot lawn mowers emerged as one of the most competitive smart garden categories of the show. While competing brands like Segway Navimow with its H5 Pro and Dreame with the A4 AWD Pro concentrated their engineering on swing-out cutting arms to trim lawn borders, MOVA introduced a radically different machine: the AstraX. Instead of limiting an articulated arm to grass trimming, MOVA turned it into a general-purpose robotic manipulator for the entire garden.
An Articulated Arm That Interacts With the Lawn
The centerpiece of the AstraX is a centrally mounted multi-axis mechanical arm fitted with MOVA’s bio-inspired “Knot 80” robotic hand. Rather than passive avoidance, the machine uses physical intervention to keep mowing sessions uninterrupted:
- Active Obstacle Removal: Traditional wire-free mowers detect obstacles like tree branches, dog toys, or garden hoses and steer around them, leaving patches of uncut turf behind. The AstraX uses its vision system to identify light obstacles and uses its robotic arm to physically lift and relocate them away from its mowing path.
- Gentle Fruit Harvesting: Equipped with a two-finger gripper that integrates sensitive pressure regulation, the arm can reach under low-hanging branches and pick fallen or ripe fruit without bruising the produce.
- Spot Irrigation: An interchangeable quick-release nozzle attachment connects the arm to a targeted watering system, allowing scheduled hydration of specific flower borders or dry lawn patches.
MOVA demonstrated these capabilities live at its IFA stand in Hall 9 with a choreographed demonstration of synchronized AstraX units manipulating objects, highlighting its focus on “embodied AI” that acts in the physical world rather than remaining confined to software screens.
96-Line 3D LiDAR and 70 Percent Slope Handling
Beneath its mechanical arm, the AstraX relies on a heavy-duty all-wheel-drive rover platform. Navigation is powered by a proprietary 96-line 3D LiDAR turret providing 360-degree spatial point clouds, supplemented by binocular 1080p HDR stereo cameras. This combination allows centimeter-accurate localization and real-time obstacle classification without requiring perimeter wires or physical boundary flags.
The drive system uses independent wheel-hub motors with zero-turn steering, enabling sharp turns without dragging wheels across wet turf. MOVA rates the chassis for slopes up to 70 percent (35 degrees), placing its climbing performance on par with dedicated slope specialists like the Mammotion LUBA series.
A Concept Machine: What Buyers Should Compare Today
MOVA has presented the AstraX as a concept demonstrator for its broader “AI MOVAment” platform. The brand has not disclosed commercial release dates, production schedules, or pricing tiers. Practical questions regarding long-term reliability remain open: exposing high-precision robotic arm joints, actuators, and wiring harnesses to moisture, sticky grass sap, and outdoor debris will require rigorous real-world validation.
For homeowners looking for an all-wheel-drive robot mower right now, existing production hardware remains the reliable choice. European buyers can look at MOVA’s own LiDAX Ultra AWD 1600 and LiDAX Ultra AWD 2000, which offer proven all-wheel-drive traction and 3D LiDAR navigation without experimental mechanical add-ons. In the United States, sister brand models such as the Dreame A3 AWD Pro 3500 are already shipping, delivering tested wire-free slope performance for complex residential properties today.