iRobot adds a retractable mop to its flagship Roomba vacuum

[Shawn Knight]

In brief: iRobot has long offered robotic vacuums and robotic mops to make life a bit easier but never have the two crossed – until now. On Tuesday, the robot maker announced the Roomba Combo j7+ - a 2-in-one billed as the world's most advanced robot vacuum and mop.

Keith Hartsfield, chief product officer at iRobot, said that up to this point, many 2-in-1s delivered a poor user experience either because they required separate, time-consuming cleaning jobs or created more mess by not lifting the mopping pad high enough to avoid carpet and rugs.

iRobot's solution is capable of vacuuming and mopping in a single cleaning job thanks to a retractable mop that lifts high to keep carpets dry. Embedded sensors help the robot detect various floor types and initiate the appropriate cleaning tools, and with the included base station, you won't have to think about emptying the bin for months.

iRobot's latest is smarter than ever, too. According to the company, it can recognize more than 80 common objects to clean specific areas on command, like around litter boxes, dishwasher, toilets and more. The bot can also detect and avoid pet bowls, pet waste, socks, backpacks, cords and shoes, and it understands nearly 600 voice commands.

Optionally, the iRobot Home app allows users to select which rooms to clean and adjust the amount of cleaning solution they want the mop to dispense.

The iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ is available to pre-order from today for $1,099 and ships on October 4. It'll also be available as part of the iRobot Select membership program starting in 2023.

Related reading: Amazon is buying Roomba maker iRobot for $1.7 billion in cash

For $29 a month, the membership includes a top-of-the-line Roomba with automatic dirt disposal, delivery of accessories like filters and brushes when you need them plus protection against accidental damages. After three years, you can trade up to a new robot. Notably, you'll have to sign a two-year agreement and pay a $49 activation fee. It'd be much more attractive without the long-term commitment.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/96118-irobot-adds-retractable-mop-flagship-roomba-vacuum.html

 

[Thatsdisgusting]

Shady company with dubious products. Their mobile app is the shitiest, glitchiest and most sluggish thing I have on my iphone, it's just unbearable to work with that, with all those stutters, unresponsiveness, and robot always out of reach. And still they have 4.5/5 ratings...I guess someone chose the cheapest amazon cloud plan and threw the budget into upvote bots...

And roomba itself gets dumber and dumber every update - it's like they've made decent first-day firmware, just to push stuff, then found the most retarded indians to outsource software dev.

 

[Uncle Al]

I bought one and returned the next week. Their software is absolutely terrible, easily hacked and the vacuum simply doesn't compare to others like Shark. Can't recommend this one, even as a door stop.

 

[BadThad]

For $1000+ I'll stick to the old fashioned way - a vacuum and a mop/bucket work better anyway! Plus I burn some calories and get a little exercise!

 

[p51d007]

When they get to the stage of "Rosie" from the tv show "The Jetson's" then I'll get one.