Robot lawn mower being tested out by City of Calgary

The City of Calgary testing out robot lawn mower as part of a pilot program. (City of Calgary handout)

The City of Calgary is testing out a robot lawn mower as part of a small-scale pilot program looking at more efficient ways to care for parks.

The autonomous commercial mower will work at a single location for 30 days starting in mid-May.

"Part of this is trying out innovative ideas, like autonomous mowers, to see if we can identify an opportunity to improve our operations," said spokesperson Kyle Ripley in a Tuesday news release.

The robot works the same way as the robot vacuums Calgarians may have in their homes, like a Roomba, and has a charging station and a pre-planned schedule.

The city says it's a "lot bigger" than a home vacuum – about the size of a wooden packing pallet – and weighs 160 pounds.

However, the city says the mower is electric and quiet.

"The mower’s micro-mulching feature is expected to result in healthier grass over time, make it lusher and potentially require less water to keep the turf green," a news release adds.

Once the pilot is complete, the city will review the results to determine if autonomous mowers are a good fit at select parks.