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Roomba Robot Vacuum Gets Siblings

Posted by simoniker on from the original-roomba-gets-jealous-and-sulks dept.

Victor Tramp writes "Apparently, the cute little robot vacuum by iRobot has siblings now! An article over at Forbes.com goes into some detail about the new Roomba models; featuring the Roomba Pro, which 'is an improvement on the original Roomba, including an intelligent navigation system..', and the Roomba Pro Elite, which is the '...new flagship model. It comes with a remote-control unit that lets you navigate the Roomba around the room, changing cleaning options as it goes.' I have one of the original Roombas, and it actually does a really good job!"

9 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. Great but... by L-s-L69 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I still need one that can go up and down stairs, and clean behind my servers on the floor.

  2. does it go to the recharger when low on juice? by kaltkalt · · Score: 4, Insightful

    if it doesn't automatically move over to the re-charging unit when it's running low on power, self-recharge, and then automatically start cleaning again when fully charged, it's worthless IMO.

    --

    Stupid people make stupid things profitable.
    1. Re:does it go to the recharger when low on juice? by allanj · · Score: 4, Insightful

      if it doesn't automatically move over to the re-charging unit when it's running low on power, self-recharge, and then automatically start cleaning again when fully charged, it's worthless IMO.


      Are you seriously saying that not having to actually vacuum, but merely recharge and empty the thing, is worthless? The actual vacuuming is by far the most timeconsuming part of cleaning the floors.


      Have you heard of the law of diminishing returns? One interpretation says that solving most of the problem is easy (and cheap), but solving the entire problem is hard (and costly). I'm pretty sure that devices such as you've required does exist (other posters refer to such units, but I have not seen specific links yet), but it probably costs WAAAY more than the lowly Roomba. Not to mention the fact that devices with more advanced capabilities - such as those mentioned by you - are more likely to fail because of unexpected situations that the developers were not given enough time to properly deal with.

      --
      Black holes are where God divided by zero
  3. Re:DIY roomba by ramk13 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Not to knock the project, which sounds super cool, but doesn't the cost of a mindstorms set + a handheld vacuum easily approach $150-200? Maybe if you can get a smaller mindstorms set, or if you already have one, it would make sense.

  4. If only.. by Sunnan · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...I could manage to keep our floor uncluttered enough for these to be useful. (In which case I wouldn't need them because it wouldn't be too hard to do it myself.)

  5. Durability of Roomba? by Channard · · Score: 4, Insightful

    One thing occurs to me regards the Roomba - just how well does it stand up to kids? It sounds like a great invention but knowing how much stress kids can put on pieces of equipment. Especially equipment that might attract their attention by moving around of its own accord? Clearly it can't be expected to withstand Little Billy pushing it downstairs just to see what would happen, but can the Roomba's withstand bumps and knocks?

  6. Re:Interesting... by kfg · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The problem is that on a hard floor nothing beats a broom and one of the new variety of "sticky" mops. They also have the advanage of being cheap, nonelectric and lasting for as long as you do.

    For carpet I've found nothing that beats a good set of Oreck products. You really need line power to do a good job here. Orecks are a bit on the expensive side compared to a Hoover or Eureka, but damned cheap compared to a Kirby or Electrolux ( you can get an Oreck upright, handheld AND steamer for the price of one Kirby)and competitively priced with the Roomba itself.

    The Roomba strikes me as an "intermediate" product. It'll do a kind of a good job between times when you do it properly. This may be a legitimate niche for some people, but I find I can do an equal job in only a handful of minutes ( like during television commercials) with the broom and a damp rag.

    Having an automatic floor cleaning "maid" is an old dream ( often fulfilled with an actual maid) but we aren't quite there yet.

    The convenience and the cost of the Roomba just don't quite add up to the amount of labor saved yet.

    KFG

  7. Roomba vs Aibo? by nai · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Next match on battlebots! A $200 vacuum versus a $2000 dog? Let's place your bet!

  8. My daydream Roomba Hack: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Arrr. I'll gets me an Off-Road, GPS enabled metal detecting roomba. let them loose on the wild shores of the Carribian and rake in the doubloons.Aye, Matey! ARR...