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iRobot just made Roombas a whole lot smarter thanks to a massive update

Set it and forget it.

Irobot genius
Image: iRobot

iRobot arguably makes some of the best robot vacuums on the planet, and thanks to a massive new update, the company is cementing its feet on top of that hill. Today, iRobot lifted the veil on its “Genius Home Intelligence” platform, which looks to give its users a suite of new personalization and control tools to its line of robot vacuums and mopping devices.

To get the ball rolling, the company updated its iRobot Home App, which is now being pushed today to all Android and iOS users, and it’s compatible with all WiFi connected devices. The new app, along with the new “Genius” integration gives users features like the ability to start vacuuming when you leave the house when locking an August Smart Lock or other event-based triggers readily available on IFTTT.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, though. iRobot Genius has a few more tricks up its sleeves. The update gives high-end Roombas a new precision clean zone feature, which allows the robot to clean up a mess in real-time in high-traffic areas. Think of places like under the dinner table after everyone is done with dinner.

On top of that, the new system gives the devices an intelligence boost, allowing them to recognize things like furniture in a home while suggesting new clean zones. Additionally, the updated app will recommend new cleaning schedules based on common cleaning patterns such as ‘after dinner.’ 

“Robotic intelligence must break free from the limits of autonomy and become true cleaning partners,” said iRobot’s CEO Colin Angle in a recent press release. “Our robot intelligence is personalized and responsive to the user’s habits and preferences, giving them greater control over when, where, and how their robots clean. iRobot Genius™ unlocks the full potential of our connected products, giving them the ability to do more now and get even smarter over time through over-the-air updates.” 

Unfortunately, not every Roomba will be able to get all of these new features. Only the ones that utilize mapping features will get support for iRobot’s new Genius platform. These devices include the Roomba i7, i7+, s9, and s9+, and the Braava Jet m6 mopping robot. Event-based automation and favorite cleaning routines will be available to all other WiFi-connected Roombas. For more information about iRobot’s Genius Home Intelligence platform, click here.

Have any thoughts on this? Any of these new features make you want to go out and buy one? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com or find him on Mastodon or Post.

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