iRobot has refreshed its line of cleaning robots, adding a new mopping machine to the mix along with an updated vacuum. Together, the Roomba s9 vacuum and the Braava jet m6 mop are designed to work in tandem to keep floors dust- and dirt-free, without any input from the user.
Last year, iRobot introduced a new feature for its Roomba i7+ where the vacuuming robot was able to return to its charging station once the job was done and empty its contents into a sealed bin, capable of accommodating up to 30 loads. When that bin required emptying, the system alerted the user via a smartphone app.
This is again a key feature of the newly-announced Roomba s9+, but the company has sought to take the automation to even greater heights by enabling it to talk with its new sibling, the Braava jet m6. That means the two connected robots are in continuous correspondence about the progress of the job, and tag themselves in and out of the game as required.
More specifically, users can kick off one of these so-called “Linked” cleans through the iRobot Home app, asking their robots to clean either a single room or entire floor of the house. The Roomba s9+ takes off first, sucking up all the dirt and dust that it can with a powerful new cleaning system that is said to offer 40 times the suction of some earlier models.
Once that is done, the Roomba s9+ returns itself to its charging dock and the Braava jet m6 mopping robot enters the fray. The m6 works much like earlier mopping robots from iRobot, with users able to attach a pad either for wet mopping or dry sweeping. In wet mopping mode, the robot will spray water and chemicals onto the floor in front of it and wipe it clean. Dry sweep uses electrostatic force to collect dust and dirt.
Once both tasks are complete, the Braava jet m6 also returns to its dock and the system sends a notification to the user’s smartphone. Regular cleaning can be scheduled through the smartphone app, or impromptu tasks can be taken to with a press of the “Clean” button. Additionally, voice control is an option when the robots are paired with Alexa and Google Assistant-enabled devices.
iRobot is also promising better performance from both machines than their predecessors. The Roomba s9+ is fitted with wider brushes and a new 3D sensor that the company says will help it retrieve dirt from corners, while the Braava jet m6 has wider edges for the same effect.
Both are available for purchase in the US and Canada now but won’t come cheap, with the Roomba s9+ priced at US$1,299 and the Braava jet m6 at $499.
iRobot’s latest vacuum and mopping machines work together as a robo-cleaning tag team [New Atlas]