Gadgets
iRobot slapped a robotic mop arm on its new Roomba
Yes, this means your robot has another smaller robot on it.
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There’s a new Roomba in town with a robotic arm to lift its mopping pad out of the way of your carpets. The iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ is $1,099 and is available to preorder now from iRobot.
The new Roomba keeps the shape and self-emptying dock of the Roomba j7+. It will also navigate your electrical cords and avoid those “messy surprises” that your pet may leave behind.
The software onboard the robot vacuum can also learn from your schedule and suggest when and where to clean daily.
What’s different about the Roomba Combo j7+ is that it has a robotic mopping pad.
The Roomba holds the wet pad in midair when it’s over the carpet, moving it back down to floor level when its sensors detect a smooth floor again.
That should mean no more slightly damp carpets, which happens on most robotic vacuum/mop combo units.
The only other combo unit with a movable mopping pad is the Roborock S7 Plus, which can only move the pad up by a few millimeters.
There’s always a trade-off with these combo units, but it’s a small one in this case. The Roomba Combo j7+ has to fit a 210ml (7.1fl oz) water tank for mopping, so the dustbin is slightly smaller.
That’s probably okay because the charging dock is one of iRobot’s self-emptying ones, so the dustbin can be automatically cleaned even partway through a vacuum cycle. The water tank needs manually filling, however.
Alongside the new Roomba, iRobot is releasing a new version of its iRobot OS, which is now version 5. It brings more AI-powered navigation, including object recognition for pet bowls, litter boxes, and backpacks.
This might be the last Roomba released before Amazon gobbles up the company. The merger is currently undergoing a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation to determine if it could violate antitrust law.
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Editors’ Recommendations:
- Review: Roomba S9+ – it’s pricey, but it’s the best of the best
- Review: Anker Eufy Robovac G10 – a mop/vacuum hybrid
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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.
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