Samsung Electronics will be debuting its latest Powerbot vacuum cleaner, the VR7000, at CES next week. The VR7000 is not only 28 percent slimmer than previous Samsung robotic vacuums, but can be operated by voice commands using Amazon's Echo smart speaker.
Robotic vacuums have firmly established a healthy niche in the home cleaning market, making up 20 percent of all home vacuum sales according to iRobot CEO and co-founder Colin Angle. However, owners still need to follow up behind the robot because, though they can go under beds and cabinets, there are various tricky corners that most can't handle. Not only do humans have to do the final detail work, they also need to keep track of the remote control to program and operate the robot.
According to Samsung, the VR7000 addresses these problems by focusing on cleaning hard-to-reach spots. Only 4 in (97 mm) tall, it can get at dust bunnies under many kinds of furniture using up to 20 watts of suction power. Features include the Edge Clean Master, which allows the vacuum to get its 11-in (288-mm) brush within 0.5 inch (15 mm) of the wall. The VR7000's Intelligent Power Control feature also responds to changing surface types by automatically changing to the most suitable suction power.
Another feature is Auto Shutter, which, as the name implies, is a shutter that drops automatically to help the vacuum collect more dust at the edges. In addition, there's the Self-Cleaning Brush System that collects dust and hair in the center of the brush, so they are sent to the dustbin more efficiently without clogging the bristles.
For navigation, the VR7000 uses Samsung's Visionary Mapping Plus and FullView Sensor 2.0. The company says that this allows the unit to map and record a room's contours for more efficient cleaning. It can also zero in on dirty areas and can detect and avoid obstacles down to under 0.4 in (10 mm).
The VR7000 can be controlled from a phone or other device through an app, but the vacuum is also compatible with the Amazon Echo, so its owner can control it using voice commands. Exactly what commands haven't been revealed, but it's likely that they'll at least be simple ones like start/stop.
The Powerbot VR7000 has received a 2017 CES Innovation Award and will be on display at the exhibition from January 5 to 8. Samsung has yet to announce pricing or availability.
Source: SamsungSamsung Electronics will be debuting its latest Powerbot vacuum cleaner, the VR7000, at CES next week. The VR7000 is not only 28 percent slimmer than previous Samsung robotic vacuums, but can be operated by voice commands using Amazon's Echo smart speaker.
Robotic vacuums have firmly established a healthy niche in the home cleaning market, making up 20 percent of all home vacuum sales according to iRobot CEO and co-founder Colin Angle. However, owners still need to follow up behind the robot because, though they can go under beds and cabinets, there are various tricky corners that most can't handle. Not only do humans have to do the final detail work, they also need to keep track of the remote control to program and operate the robot.
According to Samsung, the VR7000 addresses these problems by focusing on cleaning hard-to-reach spots. Only 4 in (97 mm) tall, it can get at dust bunnies under many kinds of furniture using up to 20 watts of suction power. Features include the Edge Clean Master, which allows the vacuum to get its 11-in (288-mm) brush within 0.5 inch (15 mm) of the wall. The VR7000's Intelligent Power Control feature also responds to changing surface types by automatically changing to the most suitable suction power.
Another feature is Auto Shutter, which, as the name implies, is a shutter that drops automatically to help the vacuum collect more dust at the edges. In addition, there's the Self-Cleaning Brush System that collects dust and hair in the center of the brush, so they are sent to the dustbin more efficiently without clogging the bristles.
For navigation, the VR7000 uses Samsung's Visionary Mapping Plus and FullView Sensor 2.0. The company says that this allows the unit to map and record a room's contours for more efficient cleaning. It can also zero in on dirty areas and can detect and avoid obstacles down to under 0.4 in (10 mm).
The VR7000 can be controlled from a phone or other device through an app, but the vacuum is also compatible with the Amazon Echo, so its owner can control it using voice commands. Exactly what commands haven't been revealed, but it's likely that they'll at least be simple ones like start/stop.
The Powerbot VR7000 has received a 2017 CES Innovation Award and will be on display at the exhibition from January 5 to 8. Samsung has yet to announce pricing or availability.
Source: Samsung
Basically the Echo you use commands where you talk to the Google Home naturally. The Echo will handle some fuzziness but fundamentally they are variations to commands instead of fundamentally understanding what you are saying.
So with the Echo you might do a quick Google search with a lyric to get a song name and then ask the Echo to play. With the Google Home you skip the Google search step.
I am starting to learn a shorter english as the inference is so incredible with the Google Home. So say "hey google play sting gwen bottle on tv". Google figures out that I want to watch a video of Gwen Stefani and Sting singing message in a bottle on my TV. It then turns the TV on, sets the proper input, and the video starts playing.
Our brains inference capabilities allow us to communicate with one another in a compressed manner. Information can be inferred versus being said. This is what Google is doing and for some (many?) things they can do better than a human. Maybe it is because I have an engineering background but the Google Home from a technology standpoint and what Google is doing just blows me away.
The demo that most blows people away is the Google Photos with the Google Home. A bunch of people over for the holiday and someone asks how was your trip? You just say would you like to see a few pics? You just say "hey google show my photos of kenny in Maui". The TV turns itself on, input set, and photos of my son Kenny playing on the beach in Maui displays". Someone asks did you guys snorkel?
I simply ask Google to show photos of Molokini and then photos of us snorkeling at Molokini and unfortunately pics of where I forced the kids to Kayak to Molokini from the hotel. Wind changed, almost died, fantastic Coast Guard picked us up and took us back to the hotel where we were yelled at because suppose to check in once an hour. Just what happens when wife does not join me and the kids on vacation.
Then my oldest said I remember snorkeling there. Then you just say show Tommy snorkeling at Molokini. My wife had scanned and loaded 1000s of photos into Google Photos and to the shock of my oldest son photos both above and underwater display of him at Molokini.
This is simply off the charts incredible from a technology standpoint. Might be a bias for me but simply wow!
Basically one shutter click and nothing else and three months later you are in your family room without touching a single thing showing the photos. There is no more friction that can be removed.