While factories have used robotics for years, and robotic toys have been popular, the first truly useful everyday robot has recently arrived in the form of a vacuum cleaner. Roomba is a little battery-powered vacuum cleaner that scampers around the room picking up the dirt and dust that accumulated so quickly on the carpet and floor.

Just insert the batteries, choose S, M, or L (depending on the size of your room), and turn Roomba on. It begins to vacuum the room in a large circular motion. It scurries against the walls and crisscrosses the area like it has a mind of its own. If it hits an object, it readjusts and continues on its way. It’s smart enough to avoid stairs. Roomba comes with a battery-operated “virtual wall unit” which you can use to block off a doorway or opening up to 13 feet wide. In most situations you will want to use this virtual wall to confine the robot to one room at a time since it works much better in a confined space.

Roomba cleans quite well, using its “crop-circle” algorithm to cover the entire area. It picks up dust bunnies, dirt, and even dry cereal. Its low-to-the ground, flying-saucer shape allows it to easily get under furniture that may be difficult to reach with a conventional vacuum. This is a real boon to some allergy sufferers who really need to keep dust and dirt in control. While the unit does an adequate cleaning job, it has an incredibly small dust and dirt catcher bin, which will have to be emptied often in messy situations. Also, if you have fringed carpets, you will have to fold the fringe under the carpet in order to use Roomba. Although not recommended for very thick plush carpet, Roomba worked well on all the carpeting I cleaned and it did better than a traditional vacuum on bare floors…perfect for picking up dust and hair on the bathroom floor.

Roomba didn’t do well in my office where it got too easily tangled up in the overabundance of power cords. It also didn’t do well in the main area of my home which has four rooms in a very open design with large doorways. In order to make it work well there I would have place (and purchase) several extra virtual wall units, and turn the rug fringe under… just too much trouble. However, Roomba did a great job in the main area of my office where there are fewer cables. It also did very well in the bedrooms. If you have allergies like I do, it might be worthwhile just to clearn under the bed!

Roomba runs up to 90 minutes on a single battery charge, which is enough time to clean several rooms. Roomba is also child-friendly. It automatically shuts off when it’s picked up or if you put a finger or other object in any of the moving parts.

Since the nickel metal hydride batteries take about 12 hours to recharge, its best use is for a light daily cleaning. Roomba works well enough to have recently acquired the Good Housekeeping seal of approval.

I reviewed the original Roomba. Since this review three new models which include extras like a built-in scheduling system, a self-charging wall mount, a selt-charging home base, and remote control have been added.

Manufacturer: iRobot

Price range: $279.99 to $329.99