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Roomba and other robot vacuum cleaners
09-03-2013, 06:12 AM
I have an irobot.
It's perfect for cleaning tile and hardwoods floors and does a good job. I have a studio so I just leave it on when I leave in the morning. When it is almost out of energy it will dock by itself.
I don't have much carpet but it seems to do a good job on that.
I got it as a gift so I'm not sure if I would spend 300 on it.
A man is only as faithful as his options-Chris Rock
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Roomba and other robot vacuum cleaners
09-03-2013, 06:55 AM
get a cleaning lady. If your cat is shedding the robot will only get the floor not all of your furniture and dust. Its also a better conversation starter to say "oh, just leave that there, my cleaning lady will get that" vs. "oh just leave that there my robot vaccum will get it...whenever it randomly rolls over there"
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Roomba and other robot vacuum cleaners
09-03-2013, 08:29 AM
Good post timing, I was just browsing Amazon yesterday for Roombas. My god they are expensive.
My issue is with corners/small spaces under desks and tables. It doesn't look like a round robot cleaner could access these spots so I imagine there would be a lot of me bending over and picking up small pieces of debris. I try to avoid bending my legs or moving as little as possible so for me this is a Roomba deal breaker.
In all seriousness, is that an issue in your experience? These things are so fucking pricey I'd think that such a simple restriction would cancel it out and like wiscanada said I'd just as well hire an EE cleaning lady a few times a month.
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Roomba and other robot vacuum cleaners
09-03-2013, 02:55 PM
Real players have one of their bitches coming over to vacuum.
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Roomba and other robot vacuum cleaners
09-03-2013, 04:55 PM
You'd be surprised at what the Irobot can get under. It's only 2 inches high (at the max)
I don't know if any of the robots actually sanitize the floor but the robot does clean everything.
A man is only as faithful as his options-Chris Rock
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Roomba and other robot vacuum cleaners
09-03-2013, 05:02 PM
I've bought two roombas over the course of the last four years. Both times I scoured kijiji and craigslist and got the robot for about $150.
The latest model I had to buy a new battery from Amazon for $40. Well worth it, every morning when I leave from work I fire it up and come home and it is full of dust.
Just be careful cuz it does not play well with shag carpets. They usually come with electric walls and I set it up so I don't find Roomba gagging on the carpet.
If you can find a used one, it is well worth it. I vacuum my shag carpet manually once every few months and roomba takes care of everything else, I missed it a great deal when I was waiting for the new battery to come in or when I had to replace my first model.
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Roomba and other robot vacuum cleaners
09-03-2013, 08:06 PM
Quote: (09-03-2013 01:06 PM)MrLemon Wrote:
I spent a few years working with these robots (taking them apart and re-writing the control code).
MrLemon, do you see any potential opportunity for after-market parts and accessories?
For example, it seems like their batteries can fetch for $60-100. Are they typical 3000mAh NiMH batteries, or are they modified?
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Roomba and other robot vacuum cleaners
09-04-2013, 05:04 PM
So how would one go about tweaking with robotics. What types of things would be s good start. Sorry to detail the thread.
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Roomba and other robot vacuum cleaners
09-05-2013, 05:37 AM
No problems derailing the thread, it's still about robot vacuum cleaners.
I'm concerned about it getting stuck on one of the higher thresholds, going under the bed in my room and not being able to get back out, or the cat somehow intefering with it or damaging it. I've seen plenty of videos with cats riding Roombas so I suspect this isn't a problem, but I'm still concerned.
The docking station would be placed under a high cupboard in the dining room.
Do you think it seems feasible? I would hate to get a robot and then find out that it gets stuck in just one room. Ideally, I'd just place it, enter instructions, and clean its bag once a week.
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