X430 Channel Testing Moment of Truth: 4 Car Home with 2 in the Driveway

I have been extensively testing the channels for the X430 since my wife left for a work trip on Monday, 27 April. I haven't had any issues with the mower staying on the 3 ft walkway that leads to our driveway and the sidewalk in front of our home.

My two vehicles sit in the garage. My wife's other two vehicles stay in the driveway unless she drives one to work. She was on a work trip when I started testing the X43O. Meaning, her second car wasn't in the driveway where I had created a channel for the X430 to navigate. We widened our driveway so there is a 3 ft by 16 ft edge that looks like a walkway along the side. I'll call it the "driveway walkway." After returning from her trip, my wife parked her second vehicle along the edge of the "driveway walkway."

I told her all she has to do is leave the "driveway walkway" clear. I said in my mind, here comes the moment of truth with two vehicles sitting in the driveway. Will the X430 fail me? Will I have to pack up the 110 lb box and return the mower to Home Depot via the "Walk of Home Depot Shame?" You guys know what I'm talking about.

As two vehicles were parked in the driveway, I hit the return to home button in the app. The X430 looked like it was trying to decide if it wanted to turn right or left in our driveway. I was thinking a left turn would be bad because one of my wife's cars was parked to its left as I was standing there too in order to intervene. The X430 swung a right turn onto the lawn. In my head I said, "Fuck YEAH! That's great logic right there." I watch the mower navigate from the lawn to the sidewalk that runs in front of my home. I have to tell my wife to move because she was standing in the mower's way. I could hear the X430 say, "Thanks for having her move. WTF bro.? I'm on a channel here."

My wife and I watch the mower stay glued to the sidewalk as it passes in front of both vehicles in the driveway. The X430 takes a wide right turn onto the "driveway walkway" to navigate along the side of my wife's other vehicle. It followed the walkway all the way to the dock in the backyard without a hitch. A question popped into my head. "Could the X43O dodge a wrench? If the X430 can dodge a wrench, you can dodge anything." Sorry, I had a Dodgeball movie flashback. My real question consisted of could the mower navigate TO the front lawn with two cars in the driveway?

I pressed the orange mow button in the Navimow app to send the X430 from the base station to the front lawn. The X430 followed the 3 ft walkway from my backyard to the side of the house and through my fence gate.

The mower stopped 3 ft after it exited the gate. I swear it had to be thinking 🤔, "I can't believe she's parked there so I can't do whatever the hell I want. No car has been parked there for 3 days! I need to keep it tight." I watched as the X430 didn't even come close to touching her car as it rolled down our 3 ft wide driveway walkway. The X430 hugged the curb along the "driveway walkway" like a young 20 year old man hugging his first stripper.

10/10

Retired Air Force pilot, now tech nerd.