The evolution of the robot vacuum over the years has been pretty astounding, especially when taking the higher-end robot vacuums into account. iRobot launched its first Internet-connected vacuums with advanced navigation and mapping just 3 years ago, and now they’re launching a brand new robot vacuum that brings a brand new innovation to the industry; the iRobot Roomba i7+ with ability to clean itself. Since the Roomba 980 launched there have been plenty of vacuums that work on improving navigation or connecting themselves with the rest of the smart home, but all of them suffer from the same issue: they aren’t truly fully-automated.
Every cleaning cycle requires owners to manually empty the relatively small dustbin, and folks with larger homes might have to empty the bin more than once per cleaning cycle, especially if they have pets. The iRobot Roomba i7+ takes this little problem and applies a simple solution to it: for $949 you can get the Roomba i7+ robot vacuum packaged with the new Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal, which will automatically empty the vacuum whenever that dustbin gets full, placing it in a disposable bag that’s rated to hold 30 full dustbins worth of stuff, which should be several months of usage for the average home. This tall container resembles a garbage can and pops open from the top to reveal the fully sealed bag, which helps keep additional dust and debris from entering your home when the dustbin is normally emptied. The cloth fibers work as a filter, and iRobot sells 3-packs of bags for $14.99, keeping the cost of ownership low.
The Roomba i7+ robot vacuum isn’t just about cleaning itself either; it’s also designed to clean your home better than previous generations. The Roomba i7+ will be replacing both the Roomba 980 and Roomba 960 vacuums and retails for $699 by itself, matching the current price of the Roomba 960 while offering a better clean than even the Roomba 980. iRobot has moved the motor out of the dustbin and into the chassis of the vacuum itself, making the motor quieter and more efficient. This new dustbin doesn’t feature any mechanical parts now and is fully washable, allowing for a cleaner robot over time. The new Imprint mapping feature intelligently remembers your floorplans and makes a more efficient map over time, cleaning entire rooms at a time instead of just working in smaller squares that might overlap with walls and other objects.
This works in conjunction with the new Clean Base, which retails for $299 by itself if you don’t choose the discounted bundle, and can not only clean your home better but in a quicker fashion as well. iRobot is tying this feature in with its Alexa and Google Assistant integration, meaning you can name each room on your floorplan and ask your favorite assistant to have the Roomba clean the living room specifically for when guests stop by. It’s also got redesigned rubber brushes that work better to loosen tough debris on floors, and the new cliff sensors solve the problem of cleaning darker carpets as well. The iRobot Roomba i7+ is up for pre-order today, September 6th, and will be available in the US starting September 12th.
Pre-Order iRobot Roomba i7+
