Cleaning Robots

Cleaning Robots(ˈrōbət,ˈrōˌbät)

By Steve Pavlina

I got an iRobot Roomba today (model 550), partly(ˈpärtlē) out of curiosity(ˌkyo͝orēˈäsədē) to see what they’re like and partly because if it works, it will fill a practical(ˈpraktək(ə)l) need. I haven’t had it more than a few hours, but I thought I’d share my initial(iˈniSHəl) observations(ˌäbzərˈvāSHən) in case you’re curious(ˈkyo͝orēəs) about these cleaning robots.

The Roomba vacuumed(-yəm,ˈvakˌyo͞o(ə)m) my floors for at least an hour today and did a decent(ˈdēsənt) job as far as I could tell. It moves around in a very non-human pattern(ˈpatərn), but it’s supposed to cover the floors thoroughly(ˈTHərōlē).

When the battery is low or it’s done cleaning, it automatically(ˌôdəˈmadiklē) returns to its home base and recharges(rēˈCHärj) itself. That part worked as expected. It docked with the home base and played a sound effect to let me know it was recharging itself.

I’ve heard that older models were a bit noisy(ˈnoizē), but this particular(pə(r)ˈtikyələr) model is pretty quiet(ˈkwīət), much quieter than a normal vacuum. You could easily have a conversation(ˌkänvərˈsāSHən) with someone in a normal voice — or talk on the phone — while the Roomba is doing its job in the same room. It’s a bit louder on tile(tīl) floors vs.(-səz,ˈvərsəs) carpet(ˈkärpit), but even at its loudest, I don’t find it bothersome(ˈbäT͟Hərsəm).

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https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2010/10/cleaning-robots/