Hedgehogs are increasingly being killed and injured from encounters with robot lawnmowers which have few safety features to protect wildlife, according to Oxford University scientists. Researchers conducted a series of tests with the mowers, the latest must-have garden gadget, with a view to create a'hedgehog friendly' certification so gardeners need not fear any prickly casualties when they trim the grass. To ensure no harm was caused to living hedgehogs, scientists used rubber'crash test hedgehogs' instead to see if the robot mower would turn away on encountering one of Mrs Tiggywinkle's tribe on the lawn. Hedgehogs are already in serious decline, with reasons including habitat loss, road traffic accidents, intensive agriculture, and injuries from dog bites and garden strimmers. But now mowers are adding to the threats.

While Americans still wrangle their overgrown lawns by pushing or riding a lawnmower, many Europeans have handed off that responsibility to robots. These beefy, Roomba-like mowers loop their way around a yard, keeping grass trim and neat. To many of their users, the bots are endearing. Their owners give them names or cover them in decals of ladybugs or bumblebees. But the sentimentality only goes so far, because these blades-on-wheels have also been slicing up something other than grass: hedgehogs.

Now owned by barbeque maker Weber, the iGrill family of Bluetooth meat thermometers let you see the temperature inside your meat, via an app or small console. Summer officially starts June 21, and with the warmer weather upon us, many will be spending more time on a deck, patio, or in the backyard. But that doesn't mean you need to be without your tech. Oh sure, many will argue this is the time of year we should break free from the gadgets that bind us. But I'd argue choosing the right technology can, in fact, help you get more out of the Great Outdoors.

Whether you choose man or machine, it takes a lot of money to avoid mowing the lawn. I've spent the past six weeks reviewing the Robomow RS612, a robot lawnmower that can automatically cut your grass and rescue your summer afternoons. This model costs 1,600 (Robomow doesn't offer this model in Australia or the UK but that price works out to AU 2,079 and 1,226), and other Robomow models that can cover larger yards can cost as much as 2,100 (AU 2,729 and 1,610). A less-expensive option for bowing out of lawn care is to hire a professional, which can cost less than 1,000 a year. So why would you splurge on a robot lawnmower when a real-life person is so much cheaper?