Robot vacuums remove pet hair, lint, and dust from the floor before they can settle. They also help stay clear of stairs and other obstacles like furniture that can tip.
Most robotic vacuums require regular maintenance. This involves emptying the bin (and occasionally, rinsing it) and wiping the sensors and cameras. Additionally, they must be plugged into the power source. Many come with smartphone apps for scheduling, setting up settings and more.
iRobot Roomba 980
The iRobot Roomba 980, the latest in a series of top-of the-line robot vacuums, is an essential for any modern home. This model is incredibly powerful suction as well as it comes with a HEPA filter that will help anyone concerned about allergies. It also comes with a large battery that can be cleaned for up to two hours before returning to its dock automatically when the bin is full.
Smart mapping is a different feature that assists in identifying areas in your home that require attention and provides an easy path to get around them. This technology is very efficient in navigating toys left on the floor, or furniture legs sticking out underneath objects. It also has a sensor that will snap Roomba to reality if it starts to wander away from its original position.
iRobot has also added a new set of rollers underneath the Roomba's bottom that do not have bristles, and thus tend to resist tangles more than earlier models. The rollers are also larger and can fit under low couches or beds. They're specifically designed to make this model more movable on various kinds of floors.
What makes the Roomba 980 stand out from other models of this class Its main feature is the integration of the new dirt detection feature that utilizes cameras to identify bits of embedded dirt. This is a nice improvement over the previous version, which relied on a sensor-driven pseudorandom coverage method to bounce around a room and clean everything at least three times from different angles.
In our tests of its performance it was found that the Roomba 980 did well on both hard flooring and carpets. It scored very well on low-pile carpet and also on mid-pile. It did a good job collecting pet hair, however it struggled with the thick and long pet hair that was stuck together.
Despite these slight limitations, the Roomba 980 remains one of our top-performing robots, and isn't even far from being as costly as the other top models on this list. It's got plenty of features we'd expect to see in a top-of-the-line model, but it doesn't have all the fancy app-enabled functions or smart home integration that you might find in other top models.
The iRobot Roomba can be set up quickly and is ready for use right away. After robots that vacuum and mop have removed the battery pull tab and yellow bin insert from the undercarriage, all you have to connect it to its Home Base docking station or an outlet on the wall, press its large "Clean" button and let it go to work. It will automatically return to its dock when it has run out of battery or is full of trash. There are also indicator lights on top that show the bin is empty, when it needs to recharge, or when it loses Wi-Fi.
