Did EGO get it WRONG with this Lawn Mower? NEW Aura R2 Robot Mower

Indexed: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]100% firmware update success. We have a delivery from EGO and it isn't powered by their 56V batteries. Now, James and myself normally get to look at their new tools each year and in 2024 they were just about to release a robotic mower, but there was a major flaw with it and that is because it had a boundary wire. They brought out a robot in 2024 with a boundary wire. Who does boundary wires these days? Because in today's modern technology, there just isn't the need for a robot with a boundary wire. Now, in 2026, Ego have launched the Aura R2. And in today's video, we're going to check it out.

[00:00:49]Right. So, let's get this genius device set up. So, inside the box, you get a charger, accessories, and the mower itself. To set up the charger, you need some open flat grassland. Remove the back cover and connect the power leads to power on. Secure it with the provided screw so it doesn't move. Download the EGO app and connect to your phone. The other thing you have to do is set up the RTK mask. Use a rod and push it firmly into the ground. Check the signal strength of the antenna and move if necessary. Bang in the pegs to secure both wires and push into the base station to get charging.

[00:01:15]>> Downloading firmware.

[00:01:18]>> 96 97 98 99 It's still 99. 100% firmware update success. Now, let's get mapping the garden.

[00:01:29]Oh, big crash. Reverse.

[00:01:32]Another big crash. So, after getting used to the drive controls on the machine and just about gaining my full driving license, I'm ready to map.

[00:01:40]Simply drive the machine around the garden using the joysticks on the app, keeping around 10 cm away from the boundary. If you make a mistake, press the erase button and it will reverse back along the route it has taken, so you can remap the area where you went wrong. Once you have mapped the area, you can then get into the finer details.

[00:01:56]No go zones, pass between areas, etc. Simply go into the map management section of the app to mark these out.

[00:02:01]Just like the boundary, go to your starting point and drive the machine around the area you want to exclude from mowing. Now, even though we're only mapping one area in this video, it's worth bearing in mind that you can map up to 40 different zones and create paths between them all very easily through the app. So, for instance, if you have a front lawn connected via path, you could get the machine to automatically navigate its way all over your property.

[00:02:24]Mapping completed.

[00:02:25]>> Come on, my little booty.

[00:02:28]And you come.

[00:02:28]>> Charging now.

[00:02:30]>> And we're all docked, charging, ready for the first cut. Now, you'll probably notice from the map that this garden area is not the biggest. It's only about,00 m squared. This particular model will do up to 6,000 m squared. So, an acre is what, 4 12,000 square meters.

[00:02:51]So, this will do about an acre and a half. They do do a two smaller models.

[00:02:54]They do a 1500 and a 3000 as well. So, the small one would be adequate for it.

[00:02:59]One thing I do like about it, it's quite stylish. It's got a nice look about it.

[00:03:02]Whereas a lot of robots on the market, they are, should we say, a bit plain and a bit boring. This one is a bit bling.

[00:03:09]It's got some It's got a look about it.

[00:03:11]So, you probably see that we marked out three or four nogo zones. That is basically areas of the garden where the owners of this property don't want the machine to go. There's some wild grass that is starting to grow up. So, it's just to make sure that this machine doesn't go over it. Now, there is a couple of other areas as well where there is obstacles, but we haven't put it as a no-go zone. I want to see how well that camera picks up those areas.

[00:03:34]So, there's a bird table, there's a rose bush, there's a couple of trees as well.

[00:03:38]So, it be interesting to see. We'll leave this in the garden, see what it does, set up the schedule for it. So, we'll get it mowing during the day.

[00:03:45]probably have it mowing a little bit more regular the first few days just to get the grass down a little bit and then we'll see how it reacts to the lawn area and perhaps just adjust the schedule from there. But yeah, it was um relatively simple to put together. The only downside is they don't really give you many tools to actually put bits and pieces together. You got to take the rear cover off. You got to put the screws in the antenna. They're all torqued bits. So I had to go to the workshop to get some bits and pieces.

[00:04:11]Other than that, couple of software updates and we are good to go. Let's leave it for a while, tell you a little bit more about these models and the brand new Aura range for 2026 and then we'll check back and see the results.

[00:04:24]>> Start mowing.

[00:04:34]>> Right, let's delve into the specs of this machine. The new Ego Aura uses a system called Path IQ, which combines three different navigation technologies: Voy, VSLAM, and RTK. By using cameras, LiDAR, sensor, and RTK satellite navigation together, the mower is able to achieve extremely accurate positioning on your lawn, while also safely detecting obstacles and movement around it. The onboard cameras allow the machine to capture imagery and perceive depth, helping it to learn algorithms, and recognize features such as textures, colors, edges, and shape. In simple terms, it's constantly learning and adapting to its environment to improve performance and efficiency. The mower can be controlled via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or 4G, all through the app, giving you complete flexibility wherever you are.

[00:05:16]You can adjust the height of cut anywhere between 20 to 90 mm, and it's capable of tackling slopes up to 50%. It also offers systematic cutting patterns, meaning it changes direction between mowing cycles to ensure complete, even, and efficient coverage across a lawn. On top of that, you've got mowing schedules, lighting modes, sounds, and even voice controls to customize the user experience. Although the mower is fully waterproof, it also features rain sensors on top of the machine, allowing you to tailor mowing schedules to suit the conditions and avoid cutting in heavy rain. Now, one thing that's always interesting with robot mowers is how quickly they start to feel like part of the family. A bit like having a dog or a cat around the house. Naming them becomes a thing, too. In fact, the owners have already named this one Hugo, which I think is a pretty catchy name for your own personal gardener.

[00:06:02]Right. So, it's been a few days. The mower has been out doing its thing and it is doing a cracking job. Now, we have adjusted it slightly because we had it mowing in sort of a north to south configuration. We are now going east to west just to utilize the length of this lawn because having stripes on this lawn is going to make it look like it's being mowed by a conventional machine. And now at the start of the video I mentioned about boundary or wired version mowers.

[00:06:35]Now this is where this type of system really comes into its own because the trouble with wired systems is the mower hasn't got any RTK, hasn't got any satellite navigation. So, it relies on the fact that it's just bouncing around the lawn. So, you get kind of like uneven patterns, which is okay because it gives you quite a nice finish, but if you want stripes or you want a pattern on your lawn, RTK really is the only way to go. Now, there is obviously the issues of having a wire and putting your spade through it and having signal drop or having corrosion, anything like that.

[00:07:10]With this type of machine, you don't get that. And I think that is why in this day and age, an RTK mower is the only way forward. Right. So, we haven't actually flipped over the machine to see what we've got underneath.

[00:07:24]So, like a lot of robotic mowers on the market, you've got these sort of razor blades here that flick up underneath and you got this sort of what would say like a anti- sculpting disc that is freely moving underneath. One thing I do like, just seeing this here, is you got those aluminum caster wheel um support. So, that's nice to see. But other than that, fairly standard underneath. Looks like there's a little servicing point there.

[00:07:48]Obviously, battery goes underneath here.

[00:07:50]Easy to clean out. Not very much there for the grass to get covered into or lost in. One thing I do want to mention, obviously, I'm at the start of the video, I said about the styling of it.

[00:08:02]It looks a little bit different to a lot of other machines on the market. It's very bling. It's got a lot of jazz about it. Now, if I was to put my hand over that, the question that I've got is whether or not you know this was an Ego product because yes, it's like a silvery gray, but it's not like gray that they have on a lot of their other machines. You got a bit of green, you got a bit of black, but personally, I think EGO kind of taken a step back from their branding here with this machine. Whether or not that's to just make something that looks that much more state-of-the-art, I don't know. I kind of like it, but at the same time, it doesn't look like an ego. It's an odd one really to get me head around.

[00:08:39]Interesting. So, I've been super impressed with the app. It's very, very simple to use and the navigation side of things. Now, we've got areas which are quite narrow and quite a way away from that antenna. And I think this machine has coped fantastically well with it.

[00:08:53]Whether or not you need an antenna and it could be hidden in the base station for simpler gardens might be an option for Ego to think about. It's not a biggie. It's just something I think that could be maybe improved upon. The antenna certainly for more complex gardens so you can move it to another area or put it up on a roof. I can see that. Now I think the other thing to consider is potentially whether or not EGO will bring out a four-wheel drive machine in the next 12 24 months cuz I think the three models sit lovely with the other tools that they produce. But I think having a four-wheel drive version will open up for more complex areas. Now on about the other tools that EGO produce, wouldn't it be cool if this machine was powered by a 56V battery or you could put a 56V battery in here to take out to then go and trim or hedge cut or mow areas this machine can't actually get to. I think utilizing their other batteries in a charging system in here would be pretty cool. What do you think? Now, where I think this machine is going to do really well is with those EGO fans. Those fans that have wanted a robot mower from Ego for many years.

[00:10:09]That's the Ego Aura R2. I'm Josh and you've been watching Machinery Nation.

[00:10:14]Please like, subscribe, ding that notification bell, and we'll see you in the next one. Cheerio. Right, before I forget, FYI, we are going to leave this machine in this garden for several months. So, if you're interested in seeing the results, head over to our Instagram page to check out what it's been doing. Anyway, cheers then.