#Automatic vacuum cleaner software

If you're looking for a particularly high-tech robot vacuum with features like object detection, automatic dirt disposal, or smart mapping, you'll likely find the Roomba 694 to be a little low-tech. You'll be able to name your vacuum, start a timed cleaning job, locate the vacuum, and tell it to return to the charging station from within the app, allowing you to run the vacuum even when you aren't at home. The Roomba 694 uses WiFi connectivity and an easy-to-use app on your phone to complete cleaning jobs. It can even detect and avoid staircases, so you'll never come home to find a broken Roomba at the bottom of your stairs. Plus, the built-in sensors allow the robot vacuum to navigate around furniture and large obstacles in its way (though you'll want to make sure there aren't any socks, power cords, or other small items in its path). We were particularly impressed by how well this vacuum removed sand from deep within the fibers of the rug, leaving behind no trace of the initial mess after it passed through.

The Roomba 694 had no trouble transitioning between the hard floor and the rug, though we noted a momentary lapse in dirt removal as it did so. This is thanks in part to its edge-sweeping tool, which helps to push nearby dirt particles under the vacuum so they can be sucked away by the powerful brush roll. On bare flooring, the Roomba 694 was able to pick up small sand particles and larger debris alike in a single pass, including cereal, pet hair, and human hair. That's why we rated the iRobot Roomba 694 as the best overall robot vacuum after testing this easy-to-use machine effortlessly navigated multiple floor types while collecting dirt and debris with ease. Whether your home has hardwood flooring, tile, carpets, or rugs, it's convenient when you can find a device that's versatile enough to clean all surface types in one fell swoop. It doesn't have any of the high-tech features other robot vacuums offer. Once lab testing was complete, we took the robot vacuums home, where we used the devices in our own homes for an entire month. Throughout these tests, we evaluated the vacuums for their overall quality, noise level, and ease of use before assigning individual ratings for each category. We spent two days in our lab in Des Moines, Iowa, running the vacuums on multiple floor types to see how well they picked up sand, crumbs, pet hair, and more.Īdditionally, we challenged each vacuum by creating a small obstacle course of furniture for it to navigate, placing socks and USB cables in its path to see if it avoided the objects or ran them over. We put more than 30 different robot vacuums to the test to evaluate which were the best for tackling hardwood floors, carpets, pet hair, dirt, and more.

#Automatic vacuum cleaner software

The software on these robots is trained to identify common hazards on the floor, such as shoes, socks, clothes, cords, and even pet waste.' 'If your home is particularly cluttered-perhaps you have children or pets-you should consider a robot vacuum with object detection and avoidance.

'Purchasing a robot vacuum that takes into consideration where, when and how you want it to clean helps ensure that it does its job while you're out of the house,' says Brent Hild, director of product management at iRobot.

However, it's important to find a vacuum that operates quietly, doesn't get stuck, and successfully avoids obstacles in its way. Instead of dragging out your hefty vacuum to get rid of dirt, crumbs, and hair ground into the floor, the best robot vacuum cleaners will navigate around the house and clean on their own. A robot vacuum is a simple way to keep your floors tidy without dedicating your entire weekend to cleaning.