Rotating mop pads, coherent naming, and LiDAR at last
It’s a big day for iRobot. The brand behind what used to be the best robot vacuums in the business has scrapped almost its entire fleet of Roombas and replaced it with five brand new bots. The new lineup introduces some fairly major upgrades that should hopefully once again make iRobot the formidable player it once was in the robot vacuum world.
Here’s a rundown of the features I’m most excited about in the new Roomba range, plus a couple of developments I’m less sold on.#1. LiDAR (at last!)
It’s taken iRobot far too long to get on board with LiDAR, but better late than never. LiDAR is basically the industry standard form of robot vacuum navigation, and generally agreed to be far better than the older SLAM method found in iRobot’s old bots. Its introduction means the new Roombas should offer faster, more reliable navigation and mapping. There are more practical benefits too – it means the robot can navigate in the dark, for instance, rather than requiring a light source. (Head to our LiDAR vs VSLAM article for more on how the two technologies compare.)#2. Improved mop pads
In line with the upgraded aesthetic, none of the new combination robots feature the retracting mop pad that until now had been iRobot’s calling card. In its place on the ‘Plus’ models (the 405 and 505) are two rotating disc-shaped pads – the approach favored by much of the market now, and the one that has generally proven more efficient at cleaning in our reviews.
One can even kick out to one side to offer more efficient edge mopping – a feature included in some premium competitor models. The mop pads can lift up to 1cm to traverse over rugs or carpet, and the retracting static pad is still present on the Combo 10 Max for those who are still concerned about damp carpets.
Note that this improved mopping setup isn’t present on the basic Roombas (the 105 and 205), which simply have a static, D-shaped mop pad. They do, however, come with automatic carpet detection, which means they shouldn’t try and mop your rugs.#3. A distinctive, friendly new look
It’s less of an essential, I guess, but I’m also a big fan of how the new lineup looks. Robot vacuums in general are quite generic looking these days, and iRobot has recognized that perhaps shiny black or white plastic isn’t everyone’s aesthetic of choice. The new bots have a design the brand has dubbed ‘GRID’ – Geometric, Rational, Iconic and Dynamic.
That might be overselling it a bit, but I do think the mix of matte and shiny finishes looks friendlier and more likely to fit in with softer home decor than your average bot. I also appreciate that iRobot has gone out of its way to create a look that’s distinctive to the brand – in that way, it’s a step ahead of the competition.#4. Better dust management
For some people, ‘dust management’ might not seem especially exciting.
