Image used with permission by copyright holderThis isn’t your mama’s Roomba.
We’ve come a long way since technology first started terrorizing our pets, and smearing their droppings, with robot vacuum cleaners, and now, Samsung is showing us what the digital cleaners of 2017 will look like. Meet the VR7000, the latest in Samsung’s line of POWERbot vacuum cleaners. Slated to make its debut in Las Vegas, Nevada at January’s CES, the VR7000 hopes to prove that good things really do come in small packages. While it will stand less than four inches tall and is 28 percent slimmer than older robot vacuums, it still promises powerful suction — 20 watts of it, to be exact.
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The VR7000 comes with an Edge Clean Master feature that allows the unit to get super close (a half inch) to your wall. That means that all the dust and hair that would otherwise be swept into the corner will be picked up by this robot vacuum.
Moreover, the vacuum claims to be smarter than any of its predecessors, with features like Visionary Mapping Plus and FullView Sensor that help this cleaner map and remember the contours of any room to ensure the most thorough cleaning possible. It will also keep tabs on areas that get particularly dirty (your doorstep, for example), and learn to avoid obstacles, no matter how small.
But perhaps most impressive of all is the addition of Amazon Echo support to the VR7000. Using nothing but your voice, you can control this vacuum, and instruct it on where to go, what to do, and anything else you might need to tell a household appliance.
“The POWERbot VR7000 keeps up with the floor care needs of today’s busy families,” said Byung-Sam Seo, President of Home Appliances at Samsung Electronics. “Just set it and watch it go to work. The POWERbot VR7000’s navigational features and sensors combined with slim design and increased suction power help make sure the job gets done.”
There’s no word yet on the VR7000’s pricing, but we’ll find out soon enough at CES.
Cordless vs. robot vacuums: which one should you buy?
When it comes to keeping your floors clean, robot vacuums and cordless vacuums are among the best products you can buy. Robot vacuums have become increasingly popular over the past few years -- thanks to premium models like the Ecovacs X2 Omni and Roborock S8 Pro Ultra -- but cordless vacuums offer plenty of advantages over their robotic counterparts.
Deciding between the two isn't easy, and thankfully, it's hard to make a wrong decision. Both are well-equipped to clean your floors, but there are some big trade-offs you'll have to make for each class. So, which is better? Robot vacuums or cordless vacuums?
Adding a robot vacuum to your home is an easy way to automate your floor-cleaning chores. Most robots produced today can vacuum, mop, and take care of minor maintenance tasks such as emptying dustbins and cleaning their mopheads. But no matter how fancy the robot, it'll eventually stop working and need to be replaced.
However, the life span of a robot vacuum varies greatly from product to product. Depending on how often you're performing preventative maintenance, you might be able to extend its life and keep it in your home for years. Here's a look at how often you should replace your robot vacuum, as well as things you can do to make it last longer.
How long does a robot vacuum last?
Self-emptying robot vacuums: Do you really need one?
Many robot vacuums are smart enough to automatically clean your home, but most lack the ability to empty their dustbins. That means you’ll still be fussing with a dirty robot vacuum -- which sort of defeats the entire purpose. However, if you step up to a premium model like the iRobot Roomba j7+, you’ll benefit from a device that knows how to empty itself when its dustbin is full.
The capability can even be found on some midrange models, but is a self-emptying robot vacuum necessary? Or should you save the extra cash and opt for an entry-level robot that lacks the feature? Here’s a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks associated with self-emptying robot vacuums.
What is a self-emptying system?
As a robot vacuum cleans, it pulls debris into an interior storage system -- usually a relatively small dustbin. Depending on the size of your home and how dirty the floor is, you may have to empty the dustbin every two or three cleaning cycles.
