Beware the domestic robot

A review of robot vacuum cleaners and mops has found the dream of being able to sit down and relax while an artificially intelligent device cleans the house is still a galaxy far, far away.

Consumer research group Choice recently looked into the invading hordes of domestic robotic cleaners currently available and found them to be little more effective than toys.

“From paranoid androids to fembots, robots have entered our homes through our television screens for years but now they are landing in our living rooms with claims they’ll free us from unpleasant domestic chores,” said Head of Media at Choice, Tom Godfrey.

“Unfortunately, despite sophisticated technology – navigation software, stair detection, cameras to detect dirt and the ability to find their own way back to their charging station – robot vacuum cleaners are still comparatively poor at the most common job of a vacuum cleaner: removing dirt from carpet.”

“Sadly the suction generated by a robot vacuum cleaner is not out of this world and they simply can’t generate the performance of a standard vacuum cleaner”, Godfrey concluded.

As for robotic mops, one product was found incapable of actually dealing with wet surfaces, while others were found to be efficient at picking up pet hair but not coarser dirt.

For more findings from the research, visit the Choice website.