One of the two iRobot announcements today is updating its line of robot mops via the iRobot Braava Jet M6. The Braava Jet M6 marks the first time in the Braava line that the navigational abilities of the top-end Roomba vacuums come to the Braava series. The Braava Jet M6 doesn’t just bump and go for navigation or use iRobot’s Northstar system like previous generation Braava’s, rather, it utilizes the same iAdapt 3.0 Navigation navigation that we saw launch with the Roomba i7 last Fall.
This new 3rd generation navigation with Imprint Smart Mapping technology is now utilized through three different iRobot products, including the Braava Jet M6 here, the Fall 2018’s Roomba i7, and the brand new Roomba s9 as well. As a bonus, this means the robots can now share the same maps when tied to a single iRobot account and are smart enough to work together to give your home a deeper clean than ever.
iRobot is saying that the new navigation is smart enough to clean your whole home, up to 2000 square feet, with the Roomba i7 or i9 first, followed by a mopping of the hard surfaces with the Braava Jet M6. That’s something we’ve never seen from a pair of robot vacuums and mops before, and it’s quite exciting if you enjoy coming home to a clean home.
Just like other Roomba lines, the Braava Jet M6 connects with your iRobot account and can be controlled from the iRobot Home app, including setting up virtual barriers to keep it out of carpeted areas. The Braava Jet M6 is able to identify carpets by the friction difference between a hard surface, like tile or wood, and the carpet itself, keeping carpets or area rugs from being erroneously mopped.
Just as we saw with previous Braava Jet robot mops, the M6 can perform a wet mopping or a dry sweeping clean. Dry sweeping is done with a electrostatically charged pad that sucks in particles, like dust or hairs, and is handy to grab the fine particles vacuums often miss.
Wet mopping can be done with either a disposable pad or a reusable, washable cloth pad. The precision navigation on the Braava Jet M6 will trace out an area before wetting down the surface to ensure it’s not spraying areas it should, such as carpets or down stairs, and even has a cliff detection sensor to keep it from falling off stairs or other drops.
The pads themselves are also larger than what was on the Braava Jet 240, helping to clean your home faster by making fewer passes in the same room.
iRobot also sells a cleaning solution that can be added to the tank, making this a truly sanitary mopping solution. Most robot mops only allow water to be added to the tank and work as little more than a wet sweeping tool, picking up dust and dirt but lacking the ability to actually sanitize your hard floors.
It’s also able to return to the dock and recharge, automatically continuing to clean if the job isn’t done just as a robot vacuum would. This is a big upgrade from the Braava Jet 240, which is designed more for single room cleaning at a time.
iRobot’s new design language is rather attractive, but it also serves many useful purposes as well. A lower profile design ensures it can fit below most cabinet spaces and get in tougher to reach places, like under end tables. That middle circle also doubles as a removable water container, which is significantly easier to refill than the Braava Jet 240’s design.
The Braava Jet M6 robot mop is available for purchase for $499 in the US and Canada right now on iRobot’s website, and will be available in retail stores on June 9, 2019. European customers can purchase the mop for €699 on July 12.
Additional cleaning pads retail for $7.99 for a box of 7 disposable pads, or the more eco and budget-friendly washable dry and wet cleaning pads can be purchased for $24.99 in sets of 2.