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Electrolux Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the it-sucks dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Modelled on an ancient arthropod the Electrolux Trilobite is in stores from Friday and should cost around £999." It isn't the first robot vacuum, but they do claim it automatically recharges itself (which I don't think the Roomba does). And for only 8 times the price! A bargain. Electrolux's website has some more information.

8 of 209 comments (clear)

  1. Critics are not so positive... by MrBoombasticfantasti · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've heard these things kinda suck...

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    1. Re:Critics are not so positive... by Rolo+Tomasi · · Score: 5, Funny
      Mood indicator light

      A mood indicator light tells you how DCO6 is feeling about its environment.

      A vacuuming robot with mood swings? Might as well get a wife ...
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      Did you know you can fertilize your lawn with used motor oil?
  2. Slashdot is for college kids by A+Proud+American · · Score: 5, Funny

    What's this "vacuuming" technology you speak of?

  3. Very big news indeed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    This must be news about the US release.They (Trilobite) have been available in Europe and Sweden for two years. Very new(s) indeed.

  4. Roomba.. by SteveX · · Score: 5, Informative
    I have a Roomba, and while automatically recharging would be cool, unless this thing has some pretty amazing smarts, I doubt that part of it will work well.

    The way you normally use the Roomba is you set the room up so the Roomba can't escape, and you let it go. It does the room, and then chirps when it's done (or stuck). If you don't lock the roomba into the room, it'll wander the whole house but not really get anything done since one charge (of either machine) is really only enough battery to do one room.

    To automatically recharge, the charger would need to be in the same room as the vacuum cleaner. If you have two floors, or you have doors, steps, or other obstacles, I imagine that part of it wouldn't work so well - you'd have to keep hauling the charger around as well as the vacuum.

    Also unless the AI is good enough that the thing really can navigate itself around a changing environment (hey there wasn't a dog there last time) and make it's way back to the charger before dying every time, I imagine you'd find a dead Trilobyte fairly frequently.

    The Roomba normaly takes 12 hours to charge, but if you get the fast charger, it charges in an hour and a half. The fast charger is $69, but well worth it.

    And if you buy it from http://www.hammacher.com, they give you a lifetime warranty! I'm wondering if they're going to regret that someday..

    So unless this thing shows some other serious advantage over the Roomba, I can't see how it justifies the price..

    And I'm not sure how they can say "While other firms have shown off prototype robot cleaners, Electrolux is the first to put one into production.", the Roomba has been on the market for a while now.

    - Steve

  5. Dirty Corners by uyfuyfuy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Of course, being circular it can't vacuum corners, so you'll have to buy a seperate vac and do that bit yourself. What a fantastic design.

  6. You know, Microsoft makes a vacuum cleaner, too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's their only product that doesn't suck.

    Thank you. I'll be here all week.

  7. Re:Unfortunately, the roomba isn't terribly durabl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've used mine perhaps 20 times since I bought it, and it has a lot of problems now. Sometimes it just stops in the middle of the room and beeps its "I'm stuck" sound, even though its not.

    Have you also cleared the brushes 20 times? I didn't think so. You're supposed to do that after every run. Wrapped up hair can provide enough friction that it thinks it's stuck.