Tynan on Tech

VACUUM PACKED

The latest in digital devices is part room cleaner, part robotic buddy.

(This article originally appeared in the December 2007 issue of US Airways Magazine.)

by Dan Tynan

iRobot’s Roomba is more than a vacuum cleaner: It’s a cultural phenomenon. More than two million have been sold since it was introduced five years ago, making it the most popular commercial robot ever made. According to surveys conducted by Georgia Tech, two-thirds of Roomba owners have given their vacuum a name. (My mother-in-law calls hers “Ruby.”)

The Roomba 560 has been re-engineered from the ground up to last longer and clean harder. Instead of bumping into walls, the 560 grazes lightly off their surfaces, reducing wear and tear. When parts do break, modular construction lets you swap out the broken bits without having to ship back the whole unit. A more powerful engine and redesigned brushes give it twice the cleaning power of the previous model, while a raised suspension system lets it take on thicker carpets. New anti-tangle technology keeps Roomba from getting hassled by your carpet’s tassels.

The new Roomba is smarter, too. Press a button and it talks, offering a quick verbal tour of its capabilities and alerting you when it needs maintenance. The 560 comes with what iRobot calls a virtual Wall Lighthouse. This feature keeps the Roomba inside a room until the area is clean (and keeps it out of rooms that are off-limits), then guides the robot to its charging station when the batteries run low. Who says you can’t get good help these days?
$349 irobot.com

Trackback URI | Comments RSS