Battery-powered robot lawn mowers generate fewer carbon emissions than their internal-combustion cousins.

Depending on where you are in the world, working from home in summer comes with a unique soundscape. There’s the melody of kids at play, the shhhh-tik-tik-tik of high-pressure sprinkler systems and the distant jingle of ice cream trucks. There’s also an almost incessant background drone: the angry whir of gas-powered lawn mowers running at full throttle.

The last of these may not be long for this world. After years of false starts, a growing number of autonomous, electric lawn mowers are starting to compete with their internal-combustion cousins. These battery-powered mowers (think big outdoor Roombas with blades) are cleaner and quieter than those running on gasoline, and they join a blossoming market for landscaping tools that don’t spew carbon.