>> We built it to match the reliability standards of European upright vacuums, something of which we were very proud. Of course, we didn’t anticipate that our customers would run their Roomba once per day, rather than the once per week average the European standard set – and as the first generation of Roomba robots broke down two years ahead of schedule
This is a super interesting insight for when you're building consumer products. When you make something super-easy to do, expect usage to 10x or even 100x. I've seen high-unit economics consumer products build with cost estimates that assume an average user doing task X once a month. If we make it possible to do the task with a free app, even though it costs us $Y to do this, our total monthly cost per user is $Y. These estimates then get blown out the water when users start doing the task 10 times a month.
This may just be my personal experience, but my Roomba does a pretty mediocre job vacuuming my house. As a result, I have to run Roomba 3-4x per week the get the equivalent cleanliness of using a traditional vacuum cleaner once per week.
A long time ago I gifted my parents one of the early mid-tier Roombas that had beacons that you can place to avoid certain areas. I bought the Roomba plus several sets of beacons.
They were really excited to use it. We put beacons all around the house and then activated the Roomba on the hardwood floor near an obvious pile of dust in the middle of the living room. I figured that would be the Hello World test.
After about 10 minutes of watching it randomly bump into walls, get jammed under the couch, we started to get disappointed. But then it made a direct path towards the dust. We all got excited and then watched it simply go right over the dust without picking up anything. At that point I picked up the unit and kept restarting it over and over until it would pick up the dust.
We tried it on maybe two other occasions and it would just continuously get stuck within a few minutes (usually either between piano legs or under furniture that was raised about the same height as the vacuum). They re-gifted it back to me where it sat unused until I finally gave it away for free. That was well over a decade ago and I now realize that I had unrealistic expectations and possibly didn't give it a fair chance.
Have they improved much since then? My home has lots of hardwood floors throughout and I vacuum daily. Even though there's central vac access everywhere I prefer to use a Miele canister vacuum.
> I now realize that I had unrealistic expectations and possibly didn't give it a fair chance.
Sounds like it. We have one basic model. It also seems to stumble around rather randomly, but it doesn't, there is a movement patterns that makes it pass everywhere given enough time. It does not clean much with each pass, but it does not pass once. If you had let it run it would have cleaned the dust eventually.
> it would just continuously get stuck within a few minutes (usually either between piano legs or under furniture that was raised about the same height as the vacuum)
Mine gets stuck at the feed of an ikea chair. That's annoying and the only solution I have is to turn the chair around or to put it away. It's likely you have to prepare the space a bit before turning it on, but that's still a lot less work and time than doing everything manually.
> My home has lots of hardwood floors throughout and I vacuum daily.
Definitely buy one and stop wasting your time vacuuming :)
I don't have experience with the early Roomba models, but I am using a Roborock S50 (Xiaomi vacuum) for almost a year now and couldn't be happier. I don't have a carpet anywhere in my house and it works pretty well.
We bring out the regular Miele vacuum once every week or two to get to the spots that Roborock can not reach.
The only issue I have at the moment is that I am working from home and vacuuming takes a lot of time for these robots compared to using a regular vacuum.
In my opinion, that's the point of them. One Roomba run is not equivalent to manually vacuuming your house, but they don't mind cleaning every single day.
And maybe I’m just messier than average, but that means tidying up every little thing, strap, shoelace, etc that might be on the floor multiple times a week so the roomba can run. And lifting up my area rug because the roomba thinks any dark stripe is a “cliff” that it’s about to drive over (no way to tell it you live in a single floor unit and turn that off).
I’ve really stopped using mine for the most part, the continuous overhead of babysitting the roomba is more work than just vacuuming once a week with the cordless vacuum.
I hear you on this, I’ve been through similar issues. Few comments though:
- We have 3 kids, and you would think that would be a hostile Roomba environment but instead, it motivates them to keep the toys off the floor e.g. Legos. Sometimes we say “Better clean up your stuff or else Roomba’s gonna get it!”
- We only buy rugs that are Roomba compatible
- Our house is just one story with wood floors in every room which is also lucky and helpful
- Another positive is Roomba is much better than a vacuum in terms of getting under sofas and beds.
However, I agree with you on having to babysit Roomba. Roomba still gets stuck in random places - wedged underneath certain pieces of furniture. Sometimes it goes into a bathroom and somehow manages to close the door on itself. Sometimes there will be an obvious mess - small pile of dirt tracked in by the kids - Roomba will vacuum for 1 hour and travel all around the dirt and still miss it.
It’s also loud - not as loud as a regular vacuum cleaner but pretty close. And considering that I can vacuum my entire house in about 15 minutes and Roomba does an equivalent job in 3 hours (3 x 1 hour sessions)...
Bottom line is that we still use Roomba. But we also still use a vacuum once every 2-3 weeks or so.
I'm seeing a use case for individuals who are isolated and want something to care for. Give it big googly eyes and an old person name like Harold or something.
Legitimately, I could see people being super into that. They have to care for the Roomba by making sure it doesn't freak out because of shoelaces or the cliff you describe. Maybe it beeps and whistles.
Mediocre doesn’t cover it - mine just spreads dirt around, and then inevitably gets stuck on something super-challenging and unexpected in a home, like a chair leg.
I've been beating this drum about self-driving cars for a while. All these rosy predictions of traffic being better neglect the fact that usage will go way up.
The car could have a "unoccupied miles driven counter" that you reported manually or automatically once in a while. Much like how you report your electricity usage to the power company.
In 2045: “What do you mean you are going to DMV? You work there? WAIT. Are you still hand-steering that 2025 Prius!? And you still haven’t fixed that yanked off telematics!?”
(Separately I'm a bit surprised that they consider once a week vacuuming to be expected. I personally prefer once every 3 days. Wonder if I'm a bit OCD).
Once every 3 days won't work in my house, it's too big and cluttered with kids stuff to be feasible. But I wish I could vacuum even daily, especially now with all of this pollen in the air.
I was in the market for a robot vacuum and went with iRobot over Xiamoi/Roborock or Neato, to a big part because of their stance to privacy, but also because of things like they stopping military robots to focus on the consumer markets, embracing 'hackers' with the create robots and their patented dual rubber brush design that's in most of their robots.
The product that I use right now, the i7+ (bought a 960 first and returned it) has been pretty fantastic. It feels like an actual smart automatic cleaning system that takes care of my place and cleans itself with the station that came with it.
Tech wise - other products use Lidar so they can run in the dark and create the map much faster and more accurately than vSlam that my Roomba uses, so that'd be a nice thing to have but I don't really run it in the dark anyway.
The Roomba exceeded my expectations so much that I went and bought their cheapest dumb mopping robot, the Braava 240 and even though it doesn't have smart navigation or maps, it's great. Just fill it up, put it in the corner, press start and it'll mop everywhere.
In total I spent a lot more money than I wanted to spend but my place has never been cleaner. No more cat hair or dust bunnies flying around, no crumbs in my carpet, I sneeze much less, everything gets mopped regularly, and for the roomba all I have to do is change the dust bag in the station once in a while (besides occasional cleaning of parts). If either of them breaks I would without hesitation re-buy them.
I'm excited to see what they'll come up with next, but I also hope they won't get left behind with innovation and tech. The others (esp Roborock) iterate much faster, cost less and pack more features that often get rolled out to their older robots as well (no-go zones for example. iRobot didn't add them to their older camera-based robots like the 960 and kept them for i7 and higher)
I have a similar combination, the i7 with a 240, and I also think they're great. I can't even remember life before daily automatic floor cleanings. I think you're right about iRobot's competition iterating more quickly, and I'm also concerned that they might get left behind. Another concern is their pricing. They're clearing trying to establish their robots as the premium models in the market space—ones that "just work"—but the price tags are astronomical. Their two flagship models, which were advertised as working best in tandem, cost nearly $2,000 together when they were first released.
Yes -- pricing. Just for reference, the i7+ costs 140.000 yen here in Japan, that's $1300 USD, while the competition costs the same as everywhere else. In the US the same product costs $700 and often has some discounts available. (I just imported mine because I ain't gonna pay that much). It's also currently 'sold out' on their JP online store.
> I went and bought their cheapest dumb mopping robot, the Braava 240 and even though it doesn't have smart navigation or maps
IIRC that one is based on the Mint floor cleaner they bought several years ago, and does actually do basic mapping, using wheel rotations to measure distance instead of something like lidar.
(I have one of the original Mints from before iRobot bought them, though I've not really used it since getting a Neato)
The first time I saw a "self-emptying" Roomba station, I thought it was something you plug into your central vac outlet. Is there a reason we don't have that yet?
Is that something common? Never seen that, never heard of it, had to google to find out what it is. Maybe that's more of an US(?) thing and too specific?
It exists, but it's not that common. My uncle (in Belgium) had one in his house in the nineties, with mixed opinions. Every x years there's some hype around central vacuum cleaner systems in the building industry, but the excitement is always short lived: no matter the improvements, it's still vacuuming. And most people don't like to do that very often.
I also have a robot + mop combo from iRobot and it’s pretty good. Mine’s the more entry level vacuum without SLAM but it’s good enough. If/when it dies I’ll upgrade.
Besides the Create, iRobot also left an easily accessible serial port connector on various series of Roombas, and published the interface protocols, and sold a cable, for education/hobby purposes.
I wrote this library when I found a Roomba 400 in a Goodwill thrift store for $20. When, if living in the future of having your own robot vacuum cleaner was not cool enough, hey, what's this mini-DIN connector for... :)
(Also on the topic of liking iRobot: That same $20 Roomba was also the first time I met an iRobot person. I eventually bought a used 530, and was giving the 400 to a friend. Since I owned robots but not a car, I strapped the Roomba's retail box to my trusty little luggage cart, to meet my friend for lunch. Afterwards, as we're walking along the dirt path along a bank of the Charles River near Harvard Square, rolling the Roomba behind us, this jogger comes running along, and then stops. Turns out she worked for iRobot, was super-nice, and was tickled to see a vintage Roomba in nature.)
I tried playing around with the connector but my chip was getting superhot. So I gave up. What hardware component did you use? I might want to try again now. Thanks
Level converter chip? FTDI chip? I used various iRobot cables, plus sometimes generic FTDI-based RS232-to-USB adapter. If you're making your own cable, be advised that some of the pinouts are bad. Various cable-related tidbits are at: https://www.neilvandyke.org/racket/roomba/#%28part._.Cables%...
So here's my problem with them: large product line, large variation in features and prices, no idea which is the simplest machine that will clean my living room.
I don't want to buy the most expensive and then keep exchanging down to the simplest one that works.
Seriously, I don't know anyone who has this implemented across most of their house. They get one as a gift or experiment, and maybes it works.
I'd love to have these all over my house doing the work, but I have no idea what that actually requires.
In cases like that (where they also span across brands) I usually check out which single one Costco sells or what something like Wirecutter recommends as the "base." My specific needs may vary, but it's a start.
If you can afford it and are willing to spend the money, the robot vacuum and handheld combination @malandrew mentioned is a pairing that has worked for our house for the past few years now.
Looking at their site, there are two robot vacuums that are $599.99 - the i7 and the 960. When you do a comparison on the site, they list the only difference as the i7 has more suction, more features, and more compatibility with other iRobot offerings. So why do they even offer the 960? I can imagine anyone who buys that would be disappointed to find out that they could have had the i7 for the same exact price with better features.
Yes I agree, I had EXACTLY the same problem a couple of weeks ago when I decided to get a Roomba.
The website told me "e series", "600 series", "i series", "s series", "900 series" - then even though they are called "series", most of them have only one product in them.
I wanted something mid-range to get started and the product picker tool they have recommended me the e5 because I have a pet. I went through dozens of reviews to finally learn that it doesn't have a camera and vSlam, so it just slams into everything and doesn't map my place over time.
I went with the next higher model that has a camera, the 960 and it has been doing a good job. As a techie I was a bit disappointed that I picked a model from 2016 and that they kept the smarter features like keep-out zones for the higher ones.
Eventually returned it and got an i7 for a similar price and it's a pretty fantastic product, though I ended up paying much more for my experiment than I anticipated...
The product comparison page ([0]) is doing an ok job but I wish they'd make product selection a bit easier.
When you are faced with tons of badly named products page without any good comparison tool, its sign of internal disorganization and specifically that CEO is memely a fiannce/account guy. In such companies, you will have marketting department which is clueless about products, PR department which is clueless about marketting, sales department which only functions because of personal relationships with few thousand ton gorillas. For reference, check out virtually any computer manufacturer's website except Apple.
The 600 series is actually a relatively mature product line; there are only two models in this series currently, but there were many before them. The 900 series used to have the 980 and 985 in addition to the 960, but iRobot shifted its focus to the "e", "i", and "s" series. These are all brand new product lines, and I don't doubt that the e5, i7 and s9 won't be the last models in each one. Furthermore, I suspect the 600 and 900 series will be discontinued altogether in the next year or two. You just happened to be shopping for a Roomba while iRobot was changing their product naming scheme.
But honestly, actual needs are going vary by what your house is like, who lives in it, how they live, and what their standards are. And on how your habits and preferences adjust as you get used to what they can do for you.
At the end of the day, none of these are as good as manual vacuuming. But they're way better than not vacuuming. I'm sure it's frustrating to have to just try one and see, but I honestly don't think there's a better approach.
In my opinion, it's a totally different approach that accomplishes roughly the same thing. I agree that manually vacuuming is better, but you probably don't have the wherewithal to do it daily. The average amount of dirt on your floors after manually cleaning once or twice a week is probably the same, or more, as what a Roomba leaves on the floors after cleaning daily. That's really where it shines: relentlessly cleaning every day.
The simplest machine that will clean your living room? That'd be the 675. It's currently $219.99 on their website--it can easily clean one room.
But you also mention having them "all over [your] house." In that case, I'd recommend the i7 or s9. I've got the i7 and I think it's fantastic.
There are a few factors to consider, but it's not complicated. Do you have mostly carpet or hard flooring? Any kids or pets? Do you want it to clean the whole house or just one room?
Second the 675. Best Buy had it in-store for $199 so I got one before my state's stay-at-home order and love it.
It's not the smartest Roomba ever (it bumps around a lot to learn its environment--I don't think its sensor suite is that advanced) but it does the job just fine. I just let it run while I'm working.
There's a psychological benefit to having clean floors, especially when one is home a lot these days.
also do you want to clean with the lights out, in regular patterns... in which case botvac is worth a gander (lidar, square face [corners]). I dig irobot backend (camera recog) but eod consumer tech has one judge, does it work? and under what conditions.
ps. newer models of irobot are exploring the lidar space
pss. military applications are under a different irobot spin out/brand.
Yes, cleaning with/without lights is another consideration, but an easy one to overcome no matter your preference. I went all in and have smart lighting that comes on when the Roomba runs at night, but it doesn't need much light, and the same thing could be accomplished with a cheap Hue bulb or even a "dumb" timer.
The obvious area in my house for an iRobot is the kitchen/dining room area which is what actually gets crumbs etc. on a pretty regular basis. I don't have pets/kids so the rest of the house doesn't actually need vacuuming all that often. (And normally I have a monthly housekeeper.)
But the kitchen/dining area also has cords, chairs, and (under normal circumstances) various things being packed/unpacked in various corners. My compromise a couple years ago was to get a Dyson which is super-quick to whip out and spend a few minutes doing a rough vacuum. MUCH easier than to haul out my old canister vac. And probably less effort than keeping things iRobot ready and emptying it.
It sounds like you found a good solution for your situation.
I have both kids and a dog, so the daily cleaning my Roomba does is a game changer. No more piles of fur or crumbs accumulating in the corners. I have to empty the bin every other day, but it takes me less time to do that than it would to manually vacuum the main traffic areas in the house once or twice a week.
Personally, I like the fact that the Roomba forces me to keep wires and other stuff of the floor. I think it makes my house appear less cluttered overall, but it's a matter of opinion.
I actually have a cordless Dyson too, which I think complements the Roomba well. I use it to occasionally deep clean a couple of area rugs.
I can definitely see that a Roomba would be handy if I otherwise had to vacuum living areas every day or two. (And, under the circumstances of children or pets, I'd probably need to avoid having "packing piles" and wires laying around in any case.)
My flat is almost 100% hardwood flooring, and I just bought a 966 a couple of months ago. The roomba runs once per day, and when I'm cooking I use a broom to sweep any mess up into a shovel (I have one on sticks so I don't have to bend down.)
Since buying the roomba I've not used the real vacuum cleaner at all, although I still mop the floors once every 7-10 days which is mostly necessary because of the child we have running around the place.
We have an Ecovacs Deebot and it can get in amongst a mess of chair legs quite well, even when the gaps are barely wider than its body. Where it's trouble though, as you say, is having the kids keep the ground bot-ready - toys/crafts everywhere. Best combo is probably a bot and then a stick Dyson, I suspect.
Strange that the post never mentions iRobot co-founder Rodney Brooks. His academic work on the so-called "subsumption architecture" clearly influenced the Roomba so much.
The biggest problem I have with iRobot is that all of the newer models require an internet connection. I understand that some features like remote starting and notifications must depend on an internet connection but in the newer models almost everything depends on that connection, including scheduling. This means that if you don't want to connect your vacuum to the internet you are back to starting it manually whenever you want a clean.
Personally I don't want a robot that depends on WiFi mostly because I don't trust that their backend services will keep running for years as they release 8 newer models and want to clean up their codebase. Security is another issue but since their vacuums don't have cameras putting it on an untrused network mostly solves that problem.
I would love to have a roomba. However, there is always some toys from the kids or Lego laying around. Is any of the robots smart enough to stay clear of the toys or maybe even gather them in a central place?
I haven’t tried the highest end models but my mid tier roomba certainly doesn’t. That’s the biggest issue with it, you need to be a very tidy person already for it to work for you. Leave a purse or backpack on the floor in the corner? Shoes by the door? Much less some toys. The roomba is gonna get stuck on a strap or shoelace or something. You can block off dedicated areas with their virtual walls, but need to make sure you never leave anything on the ground outside of those areas.
There’s also a bug where any high contrast rug, like any light rug with a stripe or pattern, confuses the stair sensors so roomba thinks it’s “stuck on a cliff”. There’s no way to turn this off even if you promise the roomba that you live in a one-story apartment. So on days that I want to run the roomba, not only do I need to tidy up first but need to fold up the rug and make sure it’s off the floor.
Maybe in my household we’re just messier than average, but the roomba is certainly not a set it and forget it kind of device. I also have a cordless vacuum and I’ve gone back to just manually vacuuming once a week, the roomba might still save a bit of time over all but the mental overhead of babysitting it is ultimately not really worth it for me.
> stay clear of the toys
There is a bumper, if pressed hard enough it moves another direction. If its big enough it might show up on the laser scanner.
> or maybe even gather them in a central place?
No.
This XKCD reminds me of how far we got. Identifying objects on a picture quite easy nowadays. This conversation would be something like: I need 100000 pictures with birds and 100000 without birds.
We just bought the latest vacuum and mop robots, and they work fairly well. We had bought one 17 years ago and it didn’t work well at all. They have made good progress in the control algorithms since.
This is a super interesting insight for when you're building consumer products. When you make something super-easy to do, expect usage to 10x or even 100x. I've seen high-unit economics consumer products build with cost estimates that assume an average user doing task X once a month. If we make it possible to do the task with a free app, even though it costs us $Y to do this, our total monthly cost per user is $Y. These estimates then get blown out the water when users start doing the task 10 times a month.