There’s not a lot the robotic vacuum trade can do to shock me nowadays. I’ve seen robots which have mechanical arms to choose up objects, robotic vacuums with legs and tread programs to climb stairs, and even wilder humanoid ideas. But iRobot genuinely shocked me with its Roomba Duo, a floor-washing robotic module that carries somewhat child Roomba on high. I noticed this contraption in motion at iRobot’s sales space at IFA Berlin, and I truthfully don’t know what to make of it.
I briefly spoke to Adam Pope, iRobot’s chief engineer on the sales space, who defined that the Roomba Duo is at the moment only a idea, nevertheless it’s an instance of the sorts of issues iRobot is contemplating to handle client ache factors. In the case of the Duo, the primary egg-like mothership module features a highly effective flooring washer and steamer that’s extra succesful than the kind of {hardware} you may put. iRobot tells me that the primary unit’s energy is equal to that of a conventional wet-and-dry vacuum, providing highly effective cleansing however missing the autonomy of a robotic vacuum.
The Duo solves this drawback by additionally incorporating a slim Roomba that may be deployed. I watched it achieve this after the primary unit sucked up some spilled spaghetti from the carpet for the demo and sanitized the spill space. It then used a top-mounted mechanical arm and what I can greatest describe as a touchdown craft to decrease the Roomba onto the ground, the place it began cleansing within the slim spots of iRobot’s impediment course. The motion jogged my memory of a bulldozer or a forklift as a result of the mechanical arm itself seems fairly industrial and durable, which iRobot says is critical to make sure stability beneath the extra weight.
After the primary unit completed its heavier cleansing job, it moved nearer to its docking space whereas the smaller Roomba puttered round, cleansing corners and navigating iRobot’s obstacles.
Both models function autonomously, however they share a house map and an autonomous cell dock, in order that they received’t duplicate efforts. They talk in actual time and are linked through the Rooma Home app, which makes use of AI to coordinate cleansing duties. iRobot says the primary unit vacuums and mops the massive, open flooring areas, whereas the slim child Roomba goes beneath furnishings and into slim areas the cumbersome principal module can’t attain.
While that is only a idea product with no indication it’ll come to market, iRobot did share some specs with us. The principal mothership has a wet-and-dry floor-washing module, a high-performance motor, and a high-capacity battery. It additionally makes use of the corporate’s PowerSpin Max Roller map, making use of 46 newtons of downward strain, which is a large leap from the 12 to 14 newtons you usually get from a robotic vacuum. iRobot says it scrubs the ground as completely as in case you had been cleansing by hand.
It additionally has an inner heater that generates steam to loosen more durable, dried-on grime and stains. The curler is self-cleaning, as we’ve come to anticipate and that iRobot says it could actually deal with every little thing from dust to pasta sauce and cooking grease. There’s additionally a hot-air dryer behind the curler that dries the ground after the curler is completed mopping, so the wooden flooring doesn’t get broken by moisture.
The companion robotic used for the demo is the Roomba Plus 575 Combo, which we coated after it launched earlier this yr. It’s simply 8.35 centimeters tall and 29.8 centimeters broad, making it one of many slimmest fashions we’ve seen, which is why it was chosen because the companion unit. Right now, it’s not clear whether or not the mothership can accommodate different robotic vacuum fashions, however I might guess it’s solely suitable with this one for now.
The principal Duo unit is provided with the corporate’s ClearView Pro dual-line lidar and AI to detect and navigate family objects. It additionally has a top-mounted AI digital camera, giving it a greater, greater view of rooms and flooring layouts, and creating extra detailed maps than a normal robotic vacuum. It must also be capable to higher establish stains.
To transfer this pretty cumbersome unit, it makes use of 17-centimeter wheels powered by hub motors. There’s a shared AutoWash dock (the self-emptying and cleansing docking station that the majority newer Roomba fashions use). It has a centralized clear water provide, a waste water tank, and like a normal stationary dock, it routinely washes and dries the mop and collects mud in a dustbag, letting you go months earlier than it must be emptied.
See full bio