iRobot Roomba Discovery, Written by Nathan Davis

We all have a secret love of robots. Surreptitiously, we all know they are the future rulers of Earth. They do things without question; performing actions that humans prefer not to do -- like cleaning the floor. Shooting any notion that we would never review a vacuum cleaner in the left nut, the iRobot is a realised dream.

For some time, we have longed for the fabrication of the robotic house-cleaner and this is one giant step closer -- because let's face it, we're too damn busy performing immensely more important tasks. Like keeping the olfactory glands clear.

In and out of Atomic HQ, ears twitched when 'robotic vacuum cleaner' was mentioned. Basically, the potential audience for this product is massive -- if it works.

Based on technology that iRobot developed for its mine-sweeping robots, no matter how random the fella seems to be moving around, it's following a set algorithm that maps out the size and shape of the room in order to cover the entire region via its tracking method of lightly bumping into things. It's even packed with an IR remote control (hopefully spin-offs will feature RF).

Technologically cool… but how does it perform? Luckily, it never failed to impress us. We tested with a range of surfaces and dirt -- there's no doubt this is a thorough vac. Anything up to low-profile carpet it handles like a dream. We even poured a wad of sugar on the floor and it picked up every last crystal. Additionally, with its low profile, it easily scooted under the beds and couches, cleaning areas we otherwise wouldn't dare.

It takes much longer for it to zoom around in comparison to a standard vac, but there's no need for you to be around. Hit the clean button and go out. Well, try and go out. More often than not, we would succumb to the desire to stare at this little marvel of engineering as it went about its business.

In auditory terms, it's much less noisy than a standard vacuum cleaner and it's quiet enough to run at night without driving the neighbours peanuts. That said its bumping nature might prove annoying closer to home.

Sensors. It has lots of 'em. If you have stairs, it will move to the edge and stop as if it hit a wall. If it runs into an object, it'll first attempt to go around it, in the case of a chair leg; otherwise it'll follow its wall sensor. It even has dirt sensors so it knows to go back over a certain area. Ingenious.

The model we sourced, the Roomba Discovery, comes with a home base. After about two hours worth of slaving on your floors, thanks to the guidance of IR it searches for the home base, settles down on it and juices up in three hours, ready for more.

The supplied virtual walls come in handy for when you don't want the Roomba to roam in certain areas. They emit a wall of IR signals that tell the vac to stay clear.

Filters need replacing every couple of months, but otherwise maintenance is low. Naturally it needs emptying fairly regularly, dependant on your dirt-to-floor ratio.

Strangely, the spinning corner brush didn't reach smack in the corners. Loosely lying cables are something you'll need to tie down or keep out of reach, as it tends to grab these with its pokey IR transceiver.

It isn't meant to replace your vacuum cleaner, but this depends on your cleanliness requirements, as it will at the very least make cleaning far easier. Unless you live in a house where all the rooms are on varying platforms (greater than ~1cm), there is no reason every geek shouldn't have one of these. This is the microwave of the cleaning world.

Now all we ask for is a robot that can whip up cups of freshly ground coffee and clean, fold and stack dirty clothes on the fly. And perhaps cook meals.

Source: Atomic Magazine, May 2005

Website: www.atomicmpc.com.au

Score = 9.5 out of 10