I was recently invited to the launch of two new iRobot household cleaning robots for Europe. The Roomba 800 and Scooba 450.
Roomba 800
iRobot have now launched the 800 series in Europe of their Roomba model that has been out in the States for about 6 months.
The key change is that they have got rid of the brushes claiming that this will eliminate the problem of brushes getting clogged with pet and human hair. The two cylinders they claim will eliminate the problem.
They claim that they have also revolutionised the suction with Aeroforce so that it is more effective with just a 50 watt motor.
The cylinders are now easier to remove and the battery life has been improved. That was a noticeable issue on the 500 series. However they could also do away with the screws to access the battery compartment too.
There has been no change to the scheduling arrangements The colours are all muted dark greys to nothing tacky but nothing eye catching either.
The vacuum identifies the areas of high dirt with the use of a microphone and a visual sensor for soft debris.
The Scooba and Roomba now use the same battery so that will make life simpler and both can use the same charger
iRobot have obtained a link up with Currys now so will not just be in exclusive shops such as John Lewis but will that increase their market share in the UK?
So are you ready for robots in your home?
Scooba 450
This is the update to the scrubbing Scooba.
The new 450 does still have brushes!!! So watch out those of you who have long hair like me. It however does now have a new much simpler arrangement with an easy clip on and off tank and easier to fill than the old models. The brush arrangement has been changed to make this easier to remove and clean. However there is a self -clean mode but I did not like to ask if that worked on the arch enemy of long hair and pet hair!!! Only a test will tell.
Again the mop and bucket are in fairness cheaper but the water will still be dirty! However what is the time saving and freedom to do more interesting things worth to you?
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