iRobot launches two new robotic vacuum mops

iRobot is beefing up its robotic mop choices by launching two new combo fashions: the Roomba Combo j5 Plus ($799) and the Roomba Combo i5 Plus ($549). These are mixture cleansing bots that may mop and sweep concurrently and include a charging dock that additionally robotically empties their dustbins.

When the corporate’s first robotic mop / vacuum, the Combo j7 Plus, launched final yr, it was a couple of years behind the competitors and barely underwhelming. Whereas the robotic arm on the j7 that raises and lowers the mop up and over the robotic to keep away from your carpets totally is fairly cool, the mopping itself is lower than stellar. (iRobot has had a really efficient mopping-only line, the Braava Jet, for a number of years.)

These new fashions don’t have that arm. (In addition they price nicely below $1,000.) As an alternative, once you wish to mop, you turn out the rear dustbin for a dustbin / water tank with an hooked up reusable mopping pad. The robots will then mop in addition to sweep. There’s no oscillating motion like that discovered on rivals like Roborock; iRobot says the downward stress and motion of the robotic is sufficient to “scrub” your ground.

The brand new Combo j5 and Combo i5 (pictured) include two bins: one for mopping and vacuuming and one for simply vacuuming.

I’ve examined lots of combo units, and wanting a system that robotically drains and refills the robotic’s water tank, I like these swappable modules greatest. They get you essentially the most water capability with no dear refilling dock and, subsequently, the least quantity of refilling. Extra water equals higher mopping, in my testing.

The opposite choice, the place you connect a tiny slimline water tank to the underside of the bot, barely does something to mop and runs out of water in minutes. The brand new Roombas have 210mL mopping reservoirs, and the dustbins maintain 360mL. Nonetheless, that’s smaller than the 300mL water capability and 400ml bin capability of Roborock’s comparable fashions.

The draw back is you must bear in mind to swap them again out once you wish to vacuum your carpeted rooms, as neither mannequin will robotically keep away from carpets or rugs. The smarter Combo j5 will permit you to set no-mopping zones within the app, however the Combo i5 doesn’t have this characteristic, so it’s a greater choice for rooms with out rugs.

Each new fashions include an auto-empty charging dock, which iRobot calls a Clear Base. This empties the vacuum’s dustbin; it doesn’t get entangled with the water facet of issues. That’s all on you.

The Combo j5 Plus comes with iRobot’s Clear Base. Each the j5 and i5 are being offered solely with the Clear Base auto-empty dock at launch.

The Combo j5 is a part of iRobot’s high-end line, and the Combo i5 is in its midrange collection. The present i3 Evo — which the i5 might nicely exchange — is my decide for the perfect funds vacuum, and with the discharge of this mannequin, it might see some vital worth drops.

Each bots use iRobot’s OS, giving them options reminiscent of scheduling, shared maps, room-specific cleansing, and extra. They each get round by utilizing iRobot’s vSLAM navigation (visible simultaneous localization and mapping), however solely the j5 has AI impediment detection.

That is essentially the most vital distinction between the J and I collection — and the rationale you’ll pay $250 extra for the Combo j5. The j5 can acknowledge family muddle, together with cords, garments, sneakers, socks, backpacks, pet bowls, pet toys, and pet poop, so it’s much less more likely to get derailed throughout a job and end cleansing.

Utilizing its onboard digicam, the j5 additionally acknowledges objects like litter bins, bogs, dishwashers, and extra and may deploy customized cleansing round these areas. It additionally has a dust detect mode that extra completely cleans soiled areas, which isn’t out there on the i5.

Whereas each robots can create and retailer maps of your own home and clear particular rooms once you need (fairly than the entire home in a single go), solely the Combo j5 lets you set no-go and no-mop zones. The Combo i5 will go wherever it may possibly attain except you additionally purchase a few of iRobot’s digital partitions.

The brand new Roombas work with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri for voice management. They’re out there for preorder in North America on iRobot.com and can ship in September. They’ll be out there at different retailers starting September third. The Combo i5 Plus is offered to order in Europe now, and the Combo j5 Plus might be out there in September.