iRobot's Braava jet Mopping Robot doesn't mind getting its feet wet

iRobot has added to its robotic cleaning crew with the new Braava jet Mopping Robot. Designed for cleaning hard floors in high-traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms, the jet is a more advanced and compact version of iRobot's Braava 300 series and boasts a number of automatic cleaning modes, including wet mopping, damp sweeping, and simple dusting.

Whereas the Braava 300 is designed to tackle larger areas of up to 1,000 ft² (93 m²), the more compact Braava jet is designed to handle smaller spaces of 150 to 200 ft² (14 to 18 m²), depending on cleaning mode. Unlike other robot cleaners that rely on a modified random pattern to cover an area, the jet uses a mapping algorithm to learn about its surroundings and clean the floor efficiently without damaging furniture. In addition, it has cliff sensors to keep it from rolling down the stairs and users can set up an invisible boundary in Virtual Wall Mode to keep it away from carpets and other rooms.

Measuring 6.7 in across, 7 in wide and 3.3 in high (17 x 17.8 x 8.4 cm), iRobot says the Jet can fit into tight spaces and corners, around and under furniture and fixtures, and – perhaps most importantly – under and around toilets. It has a precision jet spray and a vibrating cleaning head to wet and loosen dirt and will scan for obstacles in its path before letting loose with the spray to avoid damaging furniture, rugs and walls.

The cleaning head works with the various Braava jet cleaning pads, including wet mopping and damp sweeping pads that contain a water-activated cleaning agent, and a dry-sweeping pad, and will automatically adjust its cleaning mode based on which pad is installed. With the wet-mopping pad, the jet makes a triple cleaning pass, while the damp-sweeping pad sees the robot do a double pass, and the dry-sweeping pad sets it up for a single pass. When the job is done, the dirty pads are ejected by button into the bin without any danger of getting your fingers dirty.

The iRobot Braava jet Mopping Robot will be on sale on April 1 for US$199. Replacement Jet cleaning pads are available for $8 for a box of 10, and $20 for two washable pads.

The video below gives an overview of the Braava jet.

Source: iRobot