We’re now at the point where the power of robot vacuum cleaners has largely peaked, so the main differentiators come down to how smart each cleaner is and how well it plans out its route. With the launch of iRobot Genius, the well-known vacuum company is promising to make its products even smarter.
With the new app, existing cleaners and mops, including the Roomba i7/i7+, s9/s9+ vacuums and Braava jet m6 robot mop, will learn more about your home, fitting cleaning into your lifestyle.
News features include Clean Zones, where the robots will automatically detect specific options, such as sofas, tables and kitchen counters, while users can also create their own zones. Via the app or voice assistant (“Alexa, clean around the couch”), iRobot cleaners will know where to go for that targetted clean-up.
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Event-based automations are new, letting the robots clean based on prompts, such as Life360 telling the robot that everyone is out. The system will also integrate with IFTTT for similar control. In addition, iRobot can suggest an automated schedule, learning when the robot is normally put on.
Favorites will let iRobot cleaners run set routines at specific times, say using “After Dinner” to clean around the table and in front of the kitchen counters. Using these kinds of routines, it will be easier to clean up when required, without having to tackle an entire room or the house.
There’s also the promise of more learning, including Recommended Keep Out Zones, where the robots will learn troublesome areas and recommend that you exclude them from the clean. Seasonal Recommendations will prompt you to change your cleaning regime based on the time of the year, say suggesting more cleans when pets shed fur or when it’s allergy season.
Supported products will use iRobot Genius starting today via a software update. We’ve requested review samples so that we can tell you how good the update really is.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
