Five years since the launch of its original Roomba vacuum cleaner, robotics manufacturer iRobot has released new improved versions of the vacuum cleaning robots.
The iRobot Roomba 500 series, including the Roomba 530 (US$299) and Roomba 560 (US$349), offers increased efficiency and power for use in the home. The new designs were inspired by feedback from over 2 million purchasers of the first generation Roomba.
A key improvement that is sure to impress is the capacity of robots in the Roomba 500 series to free themselves from almost any jammed position, lessening the need to tidy rooms and move furniture before use. They now also incorporate wireless technology which helps them to determine when a room is complete and to move onto the next.
Other new features of the 500 series include modular components for enhanced durability, anti-tangle technology to break free from cord tangles, an intelligent sensing system that can detect walls or obstacles, mobility platform allowing them to travel on rougher terrain and a re-designed dustbin to hold significantly more debris. The Roomba 530 also comes with two virtual walls that confine the robot to certain areas using an infrared beam whereas the 560 has virtual wall lighthouses that help orient the cleaner via radio frequency communications.
All Roomba 500 series robots include a patented three-stage cleaning system allowing them to automatically adjust between cleaning carpets and hard floors. Other offerings in the 500 series offer the added functionality of being able to steer and control the robots from across the room using a wireless command center.
Roomba's intelligent cleaning system evaluates its environment more than 60 times per second so the robot is always cleaning at the correct capacity for the floor. Sandra Lawrence, president of iRobot Home Robots believes that the improved Roomba 500 series will provide valuable assistance to those wanting a super clean home all the time. "Life today is so busy, we rarely have the time or the energy to clean our homes as often as we'd like. If you wish you could have clean floors every day, this one's for you," she said.
The iRobot Roomba 530 and 560 are both available for purchase now however, iRobot are certainly not the only players in the automated vacuum market. Electrolux were the first to offer a robotic vacuum with Dyson also manufacturing a similar cleaner for domestic use. For commercial purposes Intellibot offer a larger sized industrial cleaner.