Vacuum cleaner

All was peaceful and gently sucky in the robot vacuum world – at least until this morning, when Dyson thundered in, Dysoning everything in its path, unleashing a fearsome 110,000 RPM Hyperdymium-driven beast that sucks six times harder than any other.

A floor peppered with Lego pieces is a midnight minefield for barefoot parents, but a YouTuber going by "Unnecessary Inventions" has now designed a 3D-printed Shop Vac attachment that allows you to vacuum up lego and have it auto-sorted by size.

Ever since the first iRobot Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner was introduced, successive models have offered additional features. The new Roomba j7 is particularly interesting, however, in that it uses a visible light camera to identify and avoid obstacles … such as dog and cat poop.

Samsung is claiming a few world firsts with its latest robot vacuum cleaner. The Jet Bot AI+ is said to be the first to feature an active stereo-type 3D sensor for object detection, and the first equipped with Intel AI for object recognition.

Dyson has wheeled out its latest and greatest cordless vacuum, and in addition to excellent suction power it carries some typically forward-thinking bells and whistles, spearheaded by a laser to light up dusty surfaces.

Roborock makes some of the most advanced robot vacuums on the market, and has just unveiled a new flagship model as part of CES 2021. The Roborock S7 is better at handling stubborn stains, smarter in its mopping mode, and can even empty itself.

LG is looking to clean up at CES 2021 with the announcement of a new cordless stick vacuum cleaner, which includes a charging station that automatically empties the vac's dustbin before topping up its battery.

Trifo's new Lucy robot vacuum is a clever little gadget that combines home cleaning with autonomous security patrolling thanks to its 1080p, high dynamic range camera and AI-enabled autonomous operation.

If your busy lifestyle leaves little time for housework, robot vacuum cleaners can help. If you want your robovac to clean upstairs, you'll have to carry it up and set it off. Peter Sripol wasn't happy with that situation so made his Roomba fly.

The robot cleaners we have tidying up our houses in the 21st century continue to get smarter and more efficient – such as the Narwal, which combines both vacuuming and mopping in one device, and can even replenish its own water tanks when it's done.

The Ecovacs Deebot 711 has Smart Navi Mapping Technology, up to 110 minutes of battery life, and can double the amount of suction power on demand. Plus it’s smart home enabled, voice controlled, and costs about US$350. We tried it out to see if it lives up to the hype.

The Shark Ion model S87 (aka RV851WV – we call it "Sharklon" for short) is a two-vacuum system consisting of a higher-clearance, multi-floor robotic vacuum unit and a handheld quick vacuum for dust-busting. Both are wireless, charging on a "hub" stand, and both are powerful suckers.