Roomba: The Almost Miraculous Robotic Vacuum

The Roomba is a robotic cleaner that zips around hardwood floors, tile, and low-nap carpeting, vacuuming up dirt. I've had a loaner for almost six months and I like most of the things it does, though it isn't perfect (I'll go into its deficiencies on tomorrow).

Unlike most test products I return, I'm buying this sweetie.

Roomba's Specs
There are five models, and the one I tried was the iRobot Roomba Scheduler, the high-end cleaner that Costco sells for $260 (and I've seen it for as little as $175 online). Check the chart for a model comparison.

The cheaper models don't include a scheduler, the feature that turns on the Roomba at a specified time and if we're out of town, scares the dickens out of the house sitter. It's something you probably won't miss.

The Roomba is 13 inches in diameter, the size of a large, round serving platter, and about 4 inches high, so it's low enough to get under couches, chairs, and beds. It's also noisy as all get out, at about 80 decibels.

Take a close up view of the Roomba here.

The Roomba Has Smarts
As you might expect, the Roomba is smart (hey, for that kind of money, I'd expect it to be bright) and finds its way around a room, gently bumping and rebounding off walls and furniture. It senses when it's about to topple off a ledge or step, and turns in the other direction. Watch the video.

When the Roomba detects big batch of dirt, it stays focused on the area and then moves off to finish the room. Some models also automatically dock themselves into the charger when the battery wears down.

The model I'm using has a series of buttons on the top that make the Roomba do extra work. For instance, Spot made it focus on one area in case you, say, drop a bunch of bread crumbs on the floor. Max forces the cleaner to work more aggressively on picking up dirt.

To keep the Roomba out of adjoining rooms, you can shut the door. If there's no door, use the Virtual Wall Units that are included with every model. Just stick the unit at a spot on the floor where you don't want the Roomba.

Virtual Wall Unit in action

On one hand, the Roomba is truly a walk-away device. It’s a pleasure to push the Power and then Clean button then leave the house, knowing that when I return, the job will be done--mostly. They're also cute, and fun to watch. And after a few minutes of uneventful barking, the dogs adjusted to them. (Watching them sidestep the Roomba is also grand fun.)

But then there's the other hand... And you'll hear about the Roomba's deficiencies tomorrow.

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