If he (or she, I'm an equal opportunity child laborer) gets to mow the lawn with one of these he better not complain:

Husqvarna, the global leader of outdoor power products, has developed a quiet, powerful and environmentally friendly ride-on mower for the future garden. The concept mower, developed by Husqvarna's designers and engineers, is made of recycled materials and gives an indication how the future of mowing might come to look.

Growing up, I had to mow three lawns front and back on a rusty old Murray Mower, and was constantly fixing the deck and replacing the blades from the pine/magnolia trees that scattered the lawn like little Anti-Mower-Land-Mines. Ok, so at least I had a rider, but I'll never have it as easy as kids of tomorrow, with quiet running mowers that you can actually hear your iPod over. My god... I grew up without iPods. what will our kids think of us when we talk about making mixtapes and dubbing off of radio? Anyways.. Peep a concept video (and some serious future mower specs) of the Panthera Leo after the jump.

— "Husqvarna Panthera Leo demonstrates our innovation capacity and ambition to develop high performing products with less environmental impact," says Magnus Yngen, President and CEO of Husqvarna.

Husqvarna Panthera Leo is a hybrid made up of two ride-on mowers, Rider and Zero-Turn. A battery that can be charged at any electrical outlet has replaced the traditional gas engine. Five powerful electrical motors partnered with a sound absorbing cutting deck, allow the Husqvarna Panthera Leo to glide effortlessly and silently across your lawn. The three individually suspended cutting decks enables this mower to mow smoothly over bumpier parts of your garden, avoiding lawn scalping. The cutting decks each have razor sharp blades for a close cut finish and can be controlled to suit wide or narrow lawns (from 85cm up to 120cm). All functions are managed via paddles on the steering wheel. Via an LCD-display gardeners are told everything they need to know to achieve a perfect lawn, from how fast they are driving, cutting height, cutting width, remaining battery time, service needs and warns the user about objects that are too close. With the help of sensors, Husqvarna Panthera Leo can recommend the most suitable speed and cutting height for the perfect lawn. Husqvarna is the leader in several areas in terms of products with reduced environmental impact. The Group's new engines comply with the strictest exhaust-emission criteria in the US and Europe.

Features

• Equipped with zero-emission technology
• Produced from recycled materials
• Rechargeable Lithium-phosphate battery
• Plug-in product, charged at any electrical point
• Five brushless electrical engines, easy and clean to maintain
• Three separate cutters equipped with razor sharp blades
• Cutters individually suspended to glide smoothly over bumpy terrain and prevent lawn scalping
• Variable cutting width (85-120cm)
• Zero-turn functionality
• Lifting cutting deck (90 degrees)
• Ergonomic steering wheel
• Easy to control dashboard
• Cutting time 2 hours, overnight charging
• Detailed LCD display monitor (featuring cutting height, width of cutting deck, speed, service information, steep hill warning, objects that are too close)

Press Release - Silent and eco-friendly concept mower for the future