DEEBOTOZMO At Work

Bots Gain Competition in Autonomous Sweeping, Mopping

The Ecovacs Robotics’ Deebot  is called the latest way of remotely cleaning floors. Deebot is operated by an app on a smartphone or smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa of Google Home. Owners can program the little bot to not only sweep the floor, but then mop the floor and park itself in the charger automatically.

While other similar bots run from $1,000-plus for iRobot’s Roomba to $160 for iLife, this one only costs about $300. Users don’t have to empty it between sweeping and mopping. The device was introduced on January 1. PC Magazine rated it among the best of the wide array of auto vacuums available.

The story lists the advantages of bot vacuums:

“The robots rounded up here use filters, side brushes, and spinning brushes that will do an equally good job of cleaning your home as their upright equivalents. They’re also fairly compact, so they won’t take up much space in your storage closet. And they’re able to travel underneath most couches and tables, so you don’t have to rearrange furniture. Even if you do, the more advanced robots on this list use memory banks to note where furniture is placed, so as not to bump into anything on a future pass.”

Wired also rated the Roomba i7+, at $1,099, the best of the bunch of robovacs available. The magazine listed seven vacuums as its recommended picks.