How Does Roomba Work?

If you've ever watched an automatic pool cleaner perambulate across the bottom of a pool, you'll get a basic idea of how Roomba does its job. In fact, those pool cleaners could be considered the functional, aquatic ancestors of Roomba. But not only is Roomba completely terrestrial it's far more advanced than any old automatic pool cleaner. Pool cleaners are mindless: they bump around in whatever direction the currents take them, and manage complete coverage by dint of the fact that they go back and forth so many times they eventually have to cover every square inch, simply by chance. Oh, did we mention there is also a brand new iRobot Verro pool cleaning robot? Well, of course there is and it light years ahead of the automatic pool cleaners of yesterday that we just mentioned.

A Roomba floor vacuum on the other hand, is an intelligent robot that takes a scientific approach to floor coverage, and is equipped to handle real life as it happens. It knows exactly what it's doing. Put it in the center of a room, activate it with your handy remote control, and Roomba will start moving in a spiral that eventually covers the entire floor. Come back in half an hour - and it's done. Many Roomba models are also programmable and will turn themselves on automatically and clean while you are away or even asleep.

Roomba works on a variety of flooring; it can even handle the transition between carpet and other flooring with ease. It can also sense obstacles like chair legs or toddlers, and learns to go around them. If an obstacle is temporary, it comes back and takes care of that spot later. Not only that, Roomba is smart enough to avoid danger: put it on your upstairs landing and it'll be extra careful not to commit inadvertent hari-kari. Its infrared sensors, all part of iRobot's proprietary Aware™ technology, also help it maneuver along walls. Being round, it naturally can't get right up against them, but Roomba's smart enough to extend a special cleaning brush to the edge of the wall so that it gets every speck of dirt. Corners? No problem! And as far as noise goes, well, it IS a vacuum cleaner however, it much quieter when compared with the upright and canister floor-vacs on the market. It's no more expensive than they are, either.

But what about the acid test -- its ability to pick up dirt? No worries there; it sucks with the best of 'em (hey, for a vacuum cleaner, that's a compliment). It can even handle pet hair with ease. Not only that, the more recent models are equipped with practical features like iRobot's patented Dirt Detect™ and Home Base™ technology. Dirt Detect helps Roomba see where your floor is dirtiest, so it can spend a little extra time there. When everything is done, Home Base sends it back to its charging dock so it can plug itself in and recharge. Why can't we get our cell phones to do that?

In the two years or so since we first introduced you to Roomba, the world's first robotic vacuum cleaner has evolved substantially. In addition to a number of new models (which we'll discuss in more detail below), iRobot has added to its top-of-the-line models the following features:

• Improved cleaning performance
• Improved navigation
• Highly responsive light-touch bumpers
• Modular design, for easier maintenance and upgrade
• Voice demonstration, to walk you through set-up & maintenance needs
• The Virtual Wall Lighthouse, to more effectively guide cleaning
• Improved pickup using new counter-rotating brushes
• Decreased noise levels
• A larger, more efficient fine-particle filter
• A larger dust bin (some models have two bins)
• Simpler onboard scheduling systems for ease of programming
• A Wireless Command Center, to allow you to control and schedule your Roomba remotely

November 2008: Latest updates are in green.

On to part five:

• Inexpensive - Yes! / Cheap - No Way!
  • Back to Roomba Guide Index