Archive for March, 2010

Features of the iRobot Roomba

The iRobot Roomba comes in the shape of a disc. It measures 13.4 inches in diameter and less than 3.5 inches in height. On its front half portion is a large contact-sensing bumper mounted. It comes with an infrared sensor at its very center so that the robot is able to measure the room and pick up signs of barriers as it cleans around a certain area. A carrying handle is also fitted on the top for easy handling and storage.

Depending on the model purchased, it may come with one to three "Virtual Wall" infrared transmitter units. There have been several generations of units, with each model fitted with improvements that seem to break barriers of conventional household cleaning.

Electricity is not an issue while the Roomba operates because it comes with internal nickel-metal hydride batteries that can be recharged once cleaning is completed. To charge the batteries, the unit comes with a wall plug. The later generations, however, come with a self-charging Homebase. The robot itself will automatically try to find it with the use of its infrared beacon. Charging takes approximately three hours, with the Home Base designed to adapt to second and third Roomba generations. The earlier models came with a twelve-hour charger, although a three-hour rapid charger is also an option.

The latest set of iRobot Roomba no longer need to be told the size of the room. The built-in sensors are already able to handle this task. Now, users can simply press the Clean button and the Roomba is all set to go.

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The best thing about iRobot Roomba is the fact that this tiny piece of innovation comes with Virtual Walls. The purpose behind this function is to create an invisible barrier that the Roomba will not cross. The walls can be set to block a certain portion that goes as far as eight feet long.

The Virtual Wall beam is shaped like a keyhole. A beam is set to create a small halo that prevents the robot from bumping into the wall. A larger cone-shaped section then impedes the cleaner from going into places you marked as restricted.

The higher models, such as the iRobot Roomba 535, come with Virtual Wall Lighthouses that were created to help the Roomba navigate around your home, find the Home Base, and allow the Roomba to clean one room before proceeding to its next task. When you set the robot to the Virtual Wall mode, you can indicate areas that off-limit and assure yourself that the cleaner will never cross the line.

When it is set to the Lighthouse mode, the Virtual Wall Lighthouse helps Roomba navigate around the room and clean an area at a time. All you need to do is place the lighthouses in the doorway between the two rooms. Roomba will begin to clean the first room before it navigates to the next room. Once the Roomba has completed cleaning, it uses the lighthouses as guide to navigate itself back to its Homebase.

The generations of Roomba units continue to improve itself. Its ultimate goal is to make cleaning easier for housewives and homemakers.

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The iRobot Roomba, today's generation's latest find in home cleaning and care, will clean the floors depending on the cleaning mode you select. The models basically have three cleaning modes:

Applicable for all the models made are the Clean Mode and Spot Mode. The former mode automatically calculates the size of the room while appropriately adjusting its cleaning time. It adjusts itself to measure the walls, corners, and barriers. The main purpose of the sensor is to spot out and internally mark the areas it cannot go to. This mode is most often chosen by those who want to cover every corner in the room without worrying about the space used by the furniture. The latter mode, on the other hand, spirally approximates 3 feet in diameter as it travels in a coil until it is back to where it started. This is set to intensely and meticulously clean a certain localized area.

The new models of the Roomba (models 550 and above) have the Scheduled Cleaning Mode. This basically means that the daily cleaning time is programmed to start and end on schedule. When the robot is scheduled to clean, it occasionally flashes its next cleaning time as a reminder to its owner. When its internal clock reaches the specified time, it automatically leaves its Homebase to start the chore. It only stops when work is done or when battery is empty. As soon as the mechanism senses the power drainage, it takes care of itself by returning once more to its port.

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iRobot Roomba Features

So, how exactly does the iRobot Roomba work? This amazing piece of equipment helps you in the following ways:

1. The powerful suction and rotating brushes helps collect dust and lint that has gathered on your floors.

2. While you work, it automatically navigates itself for best cleaning coverage. All these while you concentrate on the other tasks in your home.

3. It cleans under and around furniture, into corners and along wall edges. It even covers areas that are hard to reach.

4. It self-adjusts when it shifts surfaces such as carpets and hard floors.

5. It has built-in sensors that can help the disc automatically avoid stairs, drop-offs and off-limit areas found in your home.

6. It is very easy to use and it doesn't require intensive research just to be able to work it. All you need to do is press the clean button while the Roomba takes care of the rest.

7. You can recharge the Roomba in its Homebase and is able to clean as long as 120 minutes when fully charged.

8. Comes with 2 Virtual Walls that will serve as its barrier so that it knows where to not cross.

Homemakers can now go about their usual business without having to worry about furniture breaking. The best part of the deal is that the iRobot Roomba was designed to take care of itself. The makers behind the model had the today's busy lifestyle in mind when they designed this product. The robot even puts itself away after it completes its chore. This intelligent floor vacuum has saved people hours of cleaning and household chore because of its basic design.

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The Generations of iRobot Roomba

Today's iRobot Roomba is continually developing its technology to adapt to changing lifestyle and needs of people. There have already been three generations of Roomba units since its first appearance in the market. The one thing about technology is that it continually needs to improve. Scientists are continually making new discoveries everyday. It is therefore important to keep up with the changing times or lose your place with the competitors. The people behind the IRobot Corporation recognize the need to meet the demands of their clients. Now, you can rest easy when you purchase your own iRobot Roomba because you know they had nothing but the best in mind when they created this wonderful piece of mechanism.

The first model was named Roomba, and it came in both Pro and Pro Elite. These two products came in a metallic merlot red clear coat finish with chrome and black trim. The difference between the two was that the Elite version had the new spot and max cleaning cycle, a remote, and a wall mount. Next came the Discovery series. The second generation was equipped with a larger dustbin, a dirt detector, and the optional home base. Accessories such as a wall scheduler, a filter pack, a self charger, and other useful amenities could be used to make work easier. The succeeding generations such as the 5xx and 500 series, had added features implemented on its system. This is known to be the fastest cleaning device available out there. These things only need 45 minutes to dust and vacuum an average-sized room. Who can ask for more from these mini cleaners?

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