iRobot Looj Gutter Cleaning Robot
True Olympic Style

You'll never find yourself face-down in the gutter again (your house gutter, anyway), once you get your hands on an iRobot Looj gutter cleaning robot. Hopefully, iRobot gave a bonus to whoever thought this one up, because it's not like it's the most obvious robotic application ever. Maybe they were watching the Winter Olympics when they came up with the concept, because (as the name suggests) it's mindful of the sport called luge. You carry the Looj up a ladder, put it into the gutter, detach the remote control, and let it go. You can use the control to send it zipping along augering out leaves, sludge, and other gunk until it hits an obstacle, kicking the debris out onto the ground and leaving the gutters surprisingly clean. It can even handle wet leaves, and is waterproof up to a foot deep (which hopefully won't be a problem with your gutters).

This amazing little robot is only 2¼ inches high, 3¼ inches wide, and rolls along on treads, so it can duck under gutter straps and pass over downspouts with impunity. The three stage flexible auger is the secret: it whirls along tossing out the debris and brushes the gutter surfaces behind it. No more do you have to climb up and down the ladders, reaching out dangerously every few yards. The iRobot Looj does a whole section all at once, so you have to reposition just once per section. This saves you time and money, and leaves you a whole lot safer in the bargain. Once you're done using the Looj, all you need to do is hose it off, let it dry, and hang it back up in your garage.

So far, iRobot has three Looj models on offer: the 120, 130, and 150. They're basically the same robot, except that while the 120 has only a belt clip, the other models come with a handy holster to put them in while you're climbing the ladder. The Model 150 also comes with an extra battery pack and auger.

November 2008: Latest updates are in green.

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