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Neato's robot vacuum cleaner joins the Internet of Things

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The Botvac Connected charges up at IFA 2015
Paul Ridden/Gizmag
The Botvac Connected sweeps the floor at IFA 2015
Paul Ridden/Gizmag
Neato’s SpinFlow Power Clean system
Paul Ridden/Gizmag
Neato’s SpinFlow Power Clean system
Paul Ridden/Gizmag
The Botvac Connected charges up at IFA 2015
Paul Ridden/Gizmag
The Neato app is available for iOS and Android devices
The Neato app allows the Botvac Connected to be controlled via smartphone
The Botvac Connected will laser scan a room and autonomously map out a back-and-forth cleaning pattern
The Botvac Connected features Neato's familiar low-profile, D-shape form factor
The Botvac Connected and charge station
The Botvac Connected features Neato's familiar low-profile, D-shape form factor
Underside of the Botvac Connected
View gallery - 11 images

We first came across Neato Robotics' XV-11 robot vacuum cleaner at CES 2010, and the company has been rolling out additions to its lineup ever since, introducing the "pet-strength" XV-21 in 2012, its Signature Series in 2013 and the Botvac line in 2014. Neato is showing the latest dust-sucker to join its Botvac team at IFA in Berlin. The Botvac Connected, as the name suggests, packs Wi-Fi connectivity for control from a user's smartphone.

Sporting Neato's familiarlow-profile, D-shape form factor that is designed for getting into corners, along baseboards, and scooting under low ledges and furniture, the BotvacConnected can be paired with a home Wi-Fi network to allow control fromanywhere there's an internet connection.

Using the Neato app available for iOS andAndroid devices, users can start, stop, schedule or monitor a vacuuming run sothe floors are spic and span when they get home. Like previous models, theBotvac will laser scan a room and autonomously map out a back-and-forthcleaning pattern if left to its own devices, with the ability to avoid objectsin real time and operate in the dark. However, the app also allows users toremotely take the reins and direct the Botvac to where desired.

Powered by a lithium-ion battery, theBotvac Connected boasts two cleaning modes. Eco Mode will provide a quieterclean lasting up to 120 minutes, while Turbo Mode will up the suction butreduce run times to up to 90 minutes. Neato says the Botvac also features a newfilter that captures twice as many small particles of up to 0.3 microns thancompetitor units and will clean both hard and carpeted floors.

The Botvac Connected will be available fromQ4 2015 for US$699.

Source: Neato Robotics

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4 comments
Robert in Vancouver
I have had 2 top of the line Roomba's in the past 3 years. Both were a complete waste of money.
They only picked up invisible dust and just moved visible things around from one place to another. They wouldn't even pick up the smallest visible spec of something.
And they would get stuck in corners of the room between furniture legs and just go back and forth till the battery died.
Absolutely useless toys.
Bruce Crosby
Tried three Neatos before going back to a Roomba. My advice on Neato: Buy from Amazon so it's easy to return.
Bob Flint
Hahahaha...I can just envision a fat lazy person lying on the couch, while twisting his smart phone to direct this $700 machine in and around the furniture trying to pick up his chip bits.
Not7Footer
We switched to a Roomba and have not looked back - it has run every day without fail for 6+ months now. Compare to maybe 20 successful cleanings over 3+ months with the Neato BotVac. When the vacuum cleaned, it did fine. The issue was that in a 3 month time frame, we had 4 replacements, all broken for completely different issues. We had to pay for shipping for warranty refurbished replacements, two of which arrived busted and dirty inside (we think we got shipped some other customer's broken returned vacuum!)
Whatever type of robot floor care unit you purchase, make sure you get it from a vendor who has a good return policy. Costco is fantastic for that, Amazon is also pretty good. Someday this technology will be mature, but we're not there yet...