Sunday, July 29, 2007

iRobot go home

We recently bought an iRobot called a Roomba. Here's a YouTube ad for iRobot Roomba. The Roomba is a robotic vacuum cleaner. Technically it's great. The programming is good, it covers the whole area, it's small and can get under anything.

The problem is that it can't empty itself out or unjam itself. In fact it takes longer to clean it out and unjam it each cycle than it would take to use the regular hoover. So from a time saving point of view it's not worth it. I have never seen it make it to the end of a 1hour cleaning program without it jamming and needing assistance. Maybe I live in a very dirty house?

I think, and hope, that this device will eventually improve to the stage where it will use the cyclone concept. It would have to be an articulated device that looks a bit like a large ant with part of it being able to extend under furniture and the other part operating the taller cyclone device.

I look forward to trying it out again in the future but for now I must send the iRobot Roomba back to the mother ship.

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