Those looking for a worthy alternative to the mighty Roomba may be in luck. Samsung has unveiled a new robot vacuum cleaner today at IFA 2014 called the Powerbot VR9000. The company says it can deftly avoid obstacles, and offers up to 60 times better suction than conventional cleaners.
The South Korean electronics giant says the Powerbot VR9000 sweeps up dust "just like a broom" and that its Digital Inverter Technology offers up to 60 times better suction than conventional cleaners.
The robo-vac also sports an enlarged brush and Samsung's CycloneForce technology, the latter of which is said to reduce the risk of clogged filters, thus keeping the robot vacuum cleaner sucking up your dead skin and dropped crumbs at full power.
Naturally, the whole point of a robot vacuum cleaner is negated if you've got to keep getting up to help it out of corners or around chairs, but Samsung reckons it's got this covered as its FullView Sensor scans for blind spots and tells the vacuum to avoid obstacles like chair legs. Its wheels measure 10.5 cm (4.1 in) in diameter and the body's 1.5 cm (0.59 in) clearance should get it over minor hurdles like wires or door frames.
There's also a remote function that enables users to "beam down" (shine a light) on a certain area. The Powerbot VR9000 will then duly follow the light beam and clean the area of floor that's being pointed at.
At this point, the Powerbot VR9000 is being aimed at European consumers, and there's no word of wider availability. Pricing has yet to be announced.
Source: Samsung