iRobot’s Roomba is one of the more familiar names when it comes to robot cleaners, but it’s also quite tricky and troublesome as one Slate writer discovered:
When I first got the robot in 2007, I loved it-if I used it per the company’s directions, it cleaned up quite well. But over time, I grew to resent the machine. The Roomba, I found, was neither very bright nor obedient. If I didn’t clean up the room before I turned it on-moving chairs, setting up “virtual walls” to restrict its movements, removing errant video cables and other wires-the Roomba would either get stuck or wander around aimlessly. I’ve taken to using the Roomba less and less-it’s both quicker and more effective to get out a broom or Dustbuster.
Other companies have realised that consumers might not be happy with these shortcomings in iRobot’s creation and are seeking to make better robot cleaners. Two results of that mission for improvement are the Neato and the Evolution Mint. The Neato is a vacuum similar to the Roomba, while the Mint is a bot that handles sweeping and mopping.
The two robots differ from the Roomba in that they are far more organized when attacking a room:
The Neato uses several different sensors to create an internal map of a room. Based on this map, it will first clean the room’s perimeter before going back and forth within the perimeter in a systematic way.
[...]
Like the Neato, the Mint is a systematic robot that constructs an internal map of a room. In addition to onboard sensors, the Mint is also aided by “celestial navigation,” which is enabled by a small transmitter that you set up somewhere in the room. The transmitter shoots infrared signals on to the ceiling, and the robot determines its position by triangulating over those signals-essentially the way GPS works.
While the two robots aren’t without flaws either—the Neato sometimes leaves debris behind because it only passes over spots once and the Mint lacks a docking station—they are bit of an improvement on the Roomba.
Now someone just needs to continue that trend of improvement until all I have to do is whistle for an army of robots to appear and tidy up my room. [Slate]
Roomba Guy
September 3, 2010 at 9:09 PM
As some what of an expert on this topic (I have owned, bought, sold and fixed a lot of Roombas) I too can attest to the claims of the gentlemen in the article.
I have had Roomba for many years, but lately I just haven’t used him. I think people that own Roomba get too lazy to look after him. Like any remote control car or anything with small motors and moving parts, and like your vacuum cleaner, you need to take care of them.
I think the whole moving cables and “roombafying” your room actually helps you to keep your house clean and tidy, no more throwing stuff on the floor – that is actually a “pro” to roomba ownership. Anyone who says otherwise is so lazy they need to employ a cleaner, not rely on a robot vacuum.
The biggest problem for me at the moment is, I have had my current model (a 570) for about 4 years now and the battery is starting to go (lasts > 30 mins).
I could just buy a new battery, but like the guy above says, it’s easier to get the Dustbuster out.
I have one of the 2 in 1 electrolux dustbuster / hand vacuums and I use that a fair bit.
The battery in my hand vac is starting to go already too, lasts about 4 mins on half suction.
I think where Roomba should get to is a dock with another bigger vacuum built in, so when he finishes, the dock itself actually empties his bin into a bigger container that you have to clean less often. Should also have some lights on him to remind people to clean him.
In conclusion, I think the real problem isn’t roomba, it’s people and batteries.
Report PermalinkBuckaroo Banzai
September 3, 2010 at 11:17 PM
Those issues don’t really factor in to my less frequent roomba-ing. If you keep your place reasonably tidy, there’s almost nothing to pick up, and setting up a virtual wall takes all of 3 seconds.
My main issue is the brushes getting clogged with tangled hair/fibres/carpet fluff. If they didn’t need pulling out and cleaning every 2 or 3 runs, I’d be as happy as pie.
Report PermalinkCodeMaster
October 19, 2010 at 10:37 PM
I bought the Roomba 577 for one reason: to keep up with the daily mess left in the “drop zone” (the area below where my children eat at either the kitchen bench or the dining table). It also cleans up the daily dose of sand from their school shoes. I didn’t buy the Roomba to replace a standard vacuum cleaner, as I don’t think that’s what is is designed for. The Roomba is a light-duty device. I have a cleaning lady come in once a week. She vacuums and mops the floors properly. All other days of the week, the Roomba sets off automatically at 9am to clean up the daily layer of food droppings and grit from the floor. That’s all I really bought it for, and the Roomba has lived up to my expectations.
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