Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

dev.to

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 183 posts

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#91

Post by lscotte »

gbrown wrote: post #37
ballballball wrote: post #21

I too bought a robotic vacuum out of curiosity (high end iRobot) and found the algorithm to be completely inadequate both in it's mapping and it's ability to adequately cover the area that it was supposed to clean. Additionally it left random patterns in the carpet that could only be described as a drunk toddler vacuuming... in other words, it didn't look clean. It took more than 3 days to map the three rooms that it…

The Neato vacuums do a much better job in this respect IMHO. They figure out the space with lidar and use a rectangular pattern.

Absolutely. I've had both and the Neato is much better than the Roomba. The way I look at it - it's as if the Roomba was designed by students that just took a class on chaos theory and watched Jurassic Park, where the Neato was designed by actual engineers. The Roomba is fun to watch bounce around randomly. The Neato just vacuums the carpet in a logical algorithm, the same way a human would, more or less.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#93

Post by erikig »

goodoldneon wrote: post #78

Be wary about running your Roomba unattended if you have a dog. Our pup dropped a load in our bedroom and the Roomba smeared it 5 feet across the carpet. Some bits were stuck to the front bumper, so the Roomba left little poo polka dots on our baseboards.

Haha! Some pet owners have been recommending getting one as a way to get rid of pet hair if/when I got a puppy. This is one of the best examples of the unintended consequences. I guess house-training is a must.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#94

Post by winrid »

hyperbovine wrote: post #70
kaskavalci wrote: post #55

I do not trust Eufy brand anymore. We had a Eufy RoboVac and within its warranty period, battery went bust. When attached to its station, it gave some sound errors which is apparently tied to its battery. I contacted support several times, reminded their obligation for warranty period but they did nothing. They asked me to find a "certified technician" to get a report such that this malfunction was present when I mad…

iRobot is a great company. They'll sell you parts to repair your robot. The take refurbished units and sell them for educational purposes [ https://www.irobot.com/about-irobot/stem/create-2 ], with a fully open and documented platform [ https://www.irobot.lv/uploaded_files/File/iRobot_Roomba_500_... ]. It's so obviously a company that started as somebody's grad school project, and remains so to this day, and I mean t…

Another company is Bobsweep (Canadian company) that sells you parts too and their machines are easy to repair.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#97

Post by asdff »

sumedh wrote: post #31
ballballball wrote: post #21

I too bought a robotic vacuum out of curiosity (high end iRobot) and found the algorithm to be completely inadequate both in it's mapping and it's ability to adequately cover the area that it was supposed to clean. Additionally it left random patterns in the carpet that could only be described as a drunk toddler vacuuming... in other words, it didn't look clean. It took more than 3 days to map the three rooms that it…

You should have got the Roborock S6, I have the S5 (older model) and its surprisingly good for around 300 USD.

It vacuums in laps, no random fumbling around and hoping you've gotten the room. We have a longhair cat and I run it around the apartment every couple days, filling entirely with cat hair every time from one cat in a hardwood floor apartment. It's been great.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#98

Post by blacksmith_tb »

miked85 wrote: post #61
Eric_WVGG wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I buy something off another site… - Will I have to register an account? Will I have to take time unsubscribing from the email lists they sign me up for? - Will the checkout form work? Will it be secure? Will it be a single page, or will there be separate pages of shipping info, billing info, payment method, confirmation of sale, and receipt? - Will any of those pages be broken, forcing me to start over? - When w…

You do have the real possibility of receiving a counterfeit item from Amazon though, which you do not have directly from the manufacturer.

Certainly a problem with easy-to-counterfeit items, but I would think knocking off a robot vacuum would be pretty difficult?

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#99

Post by winrid »

rini17 wrote: post #25

Nobody seems to mention: How do you empty the dust compartment without stirring up the dust? My vacuum (Robzone) collects it in plastic box that is to be opened and cleaned out into trashbin with attached brush, the dust inevitably gets airborne.

I have a tiny shop vac that I use to clean it once a week or so:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003M2F7NI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_z5...

This also cleans the filter really well, letting it last over a year.

Re: I am mesmerized by our new robotic vacuum (2019)

#100

Post by chris_st »

eat_veggies wrote: post #82

The algorithm of going straight until you hit a wall, and then turning a (constant) angle has some really cool properties -- some angles/starting positions will eventually let you cover the entire floor, while others will produce beautiful repeating patterns [1]. One key insight for visualizing "hitting a wall and then turning" is that you can pretend that the walls in your room are covered with mirrors that you can…

Interesting! I wonder if it matters for this case... the walls of the room aren't going to be exactly parallel (or may be a trapezoid, pentagon, or worse), the robot's wheels are going to slip somewhat on each turn so the angle turned won't always be the same, etc. Stupid real world :-)
Post reply on HN