Self-Empting Robot Vacuums
The need to empty your robot vacuum every cleaning run can be annoying particularly for those with allergies. The dirt and debris gets kicked back into the air each time you empty your robot.
Self-emptying bases reduce your exposure to dust by letting the robot transfer debris from the bin on board into a bigger trash bin when it's full.
The Samsung Jet Bot+
Samsung's robot is the most advanced robot we've ever tested. It has excellent filtration along with a brilliant navigation system, as well as hand-free emptying of the dustbin. It has HEPA filtering and can seal in dust particles from the air to lessen allergies. The top of the device is an adjustable brush bar that rotates with soft bristles that can reach into the tight corners. It also comes with self-cleaning extractors which grind hairs to keep them from getting tangled.
When I tested the Jet Bot, it picked up a good amount of debris from my hardwood floors and carpets. It missed a few small things in my dining room corner and needed to go over them once more however, it was a great job overall. It topped my tests when compared to the Roomba because its side brush was able to better reach around edges, and it was more effective in picking small debris.
The Samsung Jet Bot is controlled through the SmartThings app and can be configured to clean automatically at times that are convenient for you. It can be programmed to clean specific areas or rooms. You can also set physical and virtual no-go zones as well as ones.
It uses LiDAR sensor technology similar to the technology utilized by self-driving vehicles to aid in mapping and navigation. A camera is also placed at the front of the device for smart object recognition. This feature helps to avoid collisions with furniture or other objects and to find the most efficient way to move between rooms. It also flags objects that it believes to be "poop" and offers an educated guess (it can select from three options that are recurring: towels, sock or cup / plate).
The SmartThings App allows you to set cleaning times and keep track of the robot's condition. You can also keep track of what is happening on the map. The app can be set to notify you when the robot's bin becomes full. It will return to its dock to empty itself before continuing its cleaning cycle. The 0.3L dustbin can be easily cleaned and emptied as it is completely enclosed.
The Roomba iRobot 960 from iRobot
The Roomba is the most expensive robot. It's also a great performer that puts it in the same class as the top self-emptying robotic vacuums for sheer cleaning power due to its HEPA filter and powerful battery. It also has a neat little feature called CarpetBoost that automatically boosts power when the vacuum senses that it's on carpet.
This model is like previous models, with a circular frame and an open window on top with an camera. This model is a smart choice due to its camera. It makes use of the camera to perform VSLAM (Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) by identifying distinct features in a space and then storing them. It then compares this information with the relative positioning gyro IMU and wheel odometry information to create a map of the room it's in.
It's a clever system, and it does a great job - even on carpets, which is where the Roomba generally has a tougher time than hard surfaces. There are a few other amazing clever features on the 980, for instance the ability to set up an annual cleaning schedule and to play a sound to aid in finding your robot. The front of the unit has a big "Clean" which will get your robot started. There are indicators that indicate when it is charging or connected to Wi-Fi as well as when the bin is empty.
If you need to clean up a little mess, the 980 has an option for spot cleaning that's quite basic, but it doesn't cover as much space as the most advanced options out there. If you have some wires that pose dangerous to your robot, you can utilize the virtual wall feature to create a barrier that tells it to stay clear of them.
The app that comes with the 980 is very user-friendly and gives you a visual representation of the tasks your robot is performing. You can also build a schedule and play around with other settings like bin capacity and reduced power mode.
More Support is a name that is synonymous with robot vacuums. The Roomba 960, priced at $700, is between the two. It's less expensive than the top of the line 980, but it comes with many of the same features. It comes with the ability to use a camera for navigation and a smartphone application with detailed cleaning maps. It also comes with Virtual Wall which creates a barrier that the Roomba will not cross.
The 960 was a good performer, particularly on floors with no. It sucked up a lot of food crumbs, cat litter and tracked-in dirt. It's also adept in climbing over obstacles like stair runners and the legs of tables and chairs. It was able to suck up pet hair, and it also was unable to handle some smaller particles like baking soda.
The 960 is different from other Roomba models because it has a separate dustbin to store large amounts of debris. This makes it less necessity to maintain it. You can empty the bin by pressing a button using the iRobot Home app or using voice commands from Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
You can use the iRobot HOME app to customize each cleaning cycle, set the number of passes and select between various modes like edge clean or a full-room sweep. It can also send an alert when it's time to empty the dirt container.
The 960 is easy to operate, using buttons on the top and controls within the iRobot HOME app, or via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It's also easy to maintain with an indicator of the remaining battery on the top of the display and docking technology that automatically moves debris out of the dirt compartment to the garbage bin when it's ready to empty. The iRobot HOME App can also provide you with how-to videos and also show the location of each object it has gathered. The battery life of the 960 may not be ideal but it's sufficient to let you use it all day long without worrying about charging it prior to the time of bed. The iRobot HOME app is available for both iOS and Android devices.
The iRobot Roomba 970
If you're looking for a robot vacuum that automatically empty its own bin and is compatible with Google Home or Amazon Alexa, the Roomba 970 is worth checking out. It uses the same advanced navigation system that is used in other new iRobot models and is able to detect stairs, which is something that could be a problem with other vacuums. It uses a centrally located camera to scan the floor while it moves and can identify furniture, walls and other obstacles. It can also establish limits for the robot by using the virtual wall tool.
This model differs from earlier models because it uses lithium-ion batteries instead of nickel metal hydroide. This means that it can run for longer between charges, and also has more endurance when cleaning. It's not as quick as the Shark AI Robot but it can still navigate around a space effortlessly.
As with the other models in the 960 series the 970 can be controlled via the iRobot app and can connect to your Wi-Fi network with no setup required. The robot has a small handle that you can use to return it manually to its charger. Spot-cleaning allows you to focus on a specific area in your house. The 960 series robots also have the same three-stage cleaning process as other current iRobot models, which incorporates the power of suction and agitation to thoroughly clean your floor and remove dirt.
The 960 is fantastic on carpets that are not bare. Its brushrolls and powerful vacuums can take up a lot of hair, dust and other debris. However, it isn't a great choice for carpet with high pile and will leave a bit of sand in its tunnel. It has a large dirt compartment that can be notified when it is full either via an app or a light on the top of the robot. It can also be programmed to clean at a predetermined time, and we had no difficulty installing this feature in our tests.