Segway-Ninebot scales autonomous residential robots with Tersus RTK modules
Customer: Segway-Ninebot
How one of the world's largest personal mobility brands selected MX206 embedded GNSS modules to power its Navimow consumer robot mower — shipping at volume across North America and Europe.
Challenge
Segway-Ninebot, best known globally for its personal mobility scooters, set out to enter the residential robot mower category with the Navimow product line. The technical requirements were brutal: deliver centimeter-accurate navigation on irregular consumer lawns, without any boundary wire installation, at a consumer price point that would compete with existing wire-based robots from established lawn care brands.
The core positioning problem was RTK GNSS with the form factor, power budget, and cost ceiling of a residential-scale robot — plus reliable performance under trees, near buildings, and in the mixed-terrain conditions of real backyards.
Solution
After evaluating multiple OEM GNSS suppliers, Segway-Ninebot selected Tersus MX206 ultra-compact RTK modules as the positioning core for the Navimow platform. Key decision factors:
- Form factor — MX206 delivers multi-frequency RTK in a compact module suitable for integration under the robot's weather housing.
- Proprietary RTK engine — Tersus's in-house algorithm stack maintained centimeter fixes under partial sky obstruction typical of residential yards.
- Volume economics — Tersus's manufacturing scale supported six-figure annual volumes at consumer-compatible pricing.
- Engineering partnership — joint firmware tuning and field-testing over 18 months of product development, from prototype through mass production certification.
Results
Navimow launched commercially in Europe in 2022 and expanded to North America in 2023, with the MX206-powered RTK navigation as a core differentiator against competing wire-based robots. The product is now available in 35+ countries and ships at six-figure annual volumes, making Segway-Ninebot one of the global leaders in autonomous residential lawn robots.
For Tersus, the partnership validated the MX206 module platform for consumer-robotics scale integration and opened subsequent OEM conversations across robotic mowers, delivery robots, and industrial AGVs.
“"Tersus's RTK engine made wire-free residential navigation commercially viable at scale. The engineering partnership was as important as the module itself."”