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iRobot’s new flagship Roombas ship with an updated OS to make cleaning simpler
iRobot just announced presales for the forthcoming J9+ line of vacuums, a refresh of the flagship J7+ line. These vacuums boast more suction power than ever before and a whole suite of new features, thanks to an updated operating system that prioritizes automation and efficiency.
Shark's self-emptying robot vacuum is $300 off today only
You can get Shark's AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum at a deeply discounted price today only at Amazon.
Eufy robot vacuums are up to 48 percent off for Black Friday
Eufy's robot vacuums are discounted by as much as 48 percent for Black Friday, including some very capable budget models.
Xiaomi's new 2-in-1 robot vacuum can wash and dry its own mops
The Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X10+ can automatically empty its dust bin, refill its water tank, wash its mops and dry them with heat.
Amazon is buying iRobot, the creator of the Roomba robot vacuum
Amazon is acquiring iRobot, the creator of the Roomba robovac, for $1.7 billion.
Roomba robot vacuums gain Siri voice support as part of big update
The iRobot Genius 4.0 Home Intelligence update has started rolling out to all users.
Roomba vacuums can now clean around Christmas trees and stray shoes
iRobot's Roomba vacuums can now recognize your Christmas tree — and any loose shoes or socks.
The Dyson V15 Detect's laser proved my apartment was never really clean
Dyson’s newest vacuum isn’t one for subtlety. It has a laser strapped to the front of it for the purpose of highlighting where your dust is hiding. The Dyson V15 Detect is the company’s newest, top-of-the-line cordless vacuum in its line of stick vacuums, at a cost of $699. Are these high-tech additions gimmicks or truly helpful upgrades for a cleaner home?
Dyson’s V15 Detect vacuum hunts dust with a laser 'blade'
There's also a bigger stick vacuum for bigger messes and a new Omni-glide model for smaller living spaces.
Samsung's smart home vision includes more intelligent fridges and vacuums
CES wouldn't be CES if Samsung didn't have a slew of new appliances to announce, and the longer the company invests in its vision of a connected home, the more we at Engadget wind up writing about refrigerators and vacuums. Samsung's smart Family Hub fridge, for instance, packs all of the same nifty storage options found in the company's Bespoke refrigerators, and once again lets you peek inside the fridge with a camera. There are also new tools here for the novice cook or nutritionist -- you can plot out a week's worth of family meal on a calendar for all to see, and a tie-in with a Samsung cooking app provides meal inspiration, automated ingredient ordering, and guided cooking instructions piped through the refrigerator's 25W speaker.
LG's new stick vacuum automatically empties dirt while it charges
LG has unveiled a cordless vacuum that cleans and removes dirt while it charges, sparing you the messiest part of house cleaning.
Panasonic built a vacuum to rescue AirPods from train tracks
Working with Japan’s JR East rail group, Panasonic has developed a cordless vacuum device that can quickly nab a stray pair of wireless earbuds.
Neato’s robotic D10 vacuum uses LIDAR-based navigation
Neato’s newest robotic vacuum, the Neato D10, uses LIDAR-based mapping technology and a HEPA filter.
Grab Shark's IQ self-emptying robot vacuum for $170 off at Wellbots
Shark's IQ robot vacuum is on sale for $429, well under its usual $599 price.
Wirecutter's best deals: Save $95 on a Roborock S4 robot vacuum
This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read Wirecutter's continuously updated list of deals here.
What's the best vacuum for pet hair?
By Tim Heffernan This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide what's the best vacuum for pet hair? As any pet owner (I have a cat) knows, even if you own a good vacuum (I have two of our picks, a Miele canister and a cordless Dyson V7), there still always seems to be some pet hair around. So instead of asking what's the best vacuum for pet hair, we asked ourselves something more to the point: What's the best way to keep pet hair to a minimum in your home? Any good vacuum—upright or canister, corded or cordless—will do an excellent job of picking up pet hair, on both hard floors and carpets. We've tested all these styles, using bagfuls of genuine cat and dog hair, and all our picks excelled at the task. The reason you're seeing pet hair around is that pets shed constantly, so no matter how good your vacuum is, you're unlikely to keep up—unless you have a vacuum that can work constantly. In other words, a robot vacuum is the best vacuum for pet hair. For most pet owners, our top pick, the iRobot Roomba 614, is the best choice among robot vacuums for pet hair: It's a sturdy, repairable robot that doesn't sacrifice cleaning power for affordability. The cleaning capacity of our recommended Roomba models can easily clean a multi-pet household, as well as spaces with a lot of pile rugs and carpet. The iRobot Roomba 675 has the same cleaning power, but also connects to Wi-Fi (if you want it to) and can be controlled from an app or with Alexa voice commands. Our budget pick, the Eufy RoboVac 11S, has the advantage of being the quietest robovac we've tested, but is better suited to a single-pet house with its low-powered cleaning. To date, we've tested more than two dozen models for our guide to robot vacuums. Below, five pet-owning Wirecutter staffers describe their experiences when using a robot vacuum for pet hair in depth. In short, we have found that robovacs work great, keeping hair under control automatically and leaving pet owners free to focus on other tasks. But we've also found that a manual vacuum is still occasionally necessary for tough jobs and deep cleaning.
Roomba update tells your robovacs to steer clear of trouble spots
iRobot's Roomba vacuums just got an update that improves their cleaning prowess by telling them what not to do. Roomba i/s and Braava jet M6 models now have Keep Out Zones that outline specific areas they're not allowed to visit. The company suggests this for keeping robots away from your pet's food bowls, but it could also be helpful for problematic rugs or cords. You can set them up in iRobot's Home app.
Turn your Roomba's travels into 'Doom' maps
Game developer Rich Whitehouse has found a rather unusual way to celebrate Doom's 25th anniversary: make your robot vacuum pay tribute. The industry veteran has developed a script for the game data conversion tool Noesis that translates the floor maps from Roombas to playable maps for the original Doom -- yes, of course it's called Doomba. You'll have to specifically record the robot's journeys for this to work (you can merge files if the run is interrupted), but it can otherwise whip up a hellish version of your home with minimal effort.
This cleaning robot can clean its own mop and dodge dog poo
A quick search on Google will show that robot cleaners and dog poo don't go well together, yet none of the big players out there have offered a solution (Sony's Aibo doesn't count). Another pain point that has put me off from acquiring a mopping robot is the fact that the mop -- often a piece of detachable fabric -- requires manual cleaning, which is rather awkward even if there's no faecal smearing. To my surprise, it was a Chinese startup at TechCrunch Shenzhen that seems to have it all figured out. Veniibot, a Chengdu-based team of over 20 employees, unveiled its Venii N1 mopping and sweeping hybrid robot at the TechCrunch event earlier this week. While you may not have heard of this startup before, its talents were hired from the likes of ZTE, Baidu, Motorola, Foxconn, Ecovacs and more. For those who are wondering, the N1 has over 100 patents in total.
The best vacuum cleaners
By Liam McCabe This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full vacuum cleaners guide here. We've done hundreds of hours of research and testing on vacuum cleaners over the past five years, searching for the best ones to fit all kinds of living situations and lifestyles. This guide will help you figure out the right kind of vacuum to suit your home, whether it's a small apartment or a big Victorian, covered with shag carpets or left with bare wood floors, or filled with kids and pets.
