
Neato's Robot Vacuum Is A Roomba Killer - kkleiner
http://singularityhub.com/2010/02/09/suck-it-up-neato-is-ready-to-kick-robot-vacuum-butt/
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ivankirigin
I used to work at iRobot. Neato doesn't understand the problem.

Consumers don't care how the robot works. They just care that it does. The
whole point of robotics is to not care about the problem. Who cares if there
is a map?

I also don't think people can say a roomba is dumb. It is designed with few
sensors, but the software under the hood is actually why it is good. It uses
lisp in a subsumption architecture, compiled down to run on a dirt cheap
processor. Most companies couldn't compete with this on a cost basis if they
tried. Here we see more CPU and sensors thrown at the problem, which is much
more expensive.

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MrFoof
That all depends on the consumer.

I owned a Roomba and set it to run while I was at work. I would never see it
operate. I just emptied it every day.

However the chaotic way in which it patrols does mean it _cannot_ replace a
conventional vacuum for the roles of spot cleaning or for a touch-up just
before guests arrive. It completely falls down in that role. Even using its
spot cleaning mode it would miss a fair amount of obvious debris even if it
was placed right on the most concentrated areas. And for touch-up before a
guest arrives? You better have a conventional vacuum. Sometimes it would be
unable to exit rooms even with the guidance beacons. I would circle around and
never be able to get out of a conventional doorway. I'd find it dead in one of
the two rooms I wanted it to do for the day, and found evidence that it didn't
tackle a room at all. About once a week. And this was a 5th generation model.

To me, the Roomba was to complement your existing upright or canister vacuum
and was incapable of replacing it entirely. There would be greater success for
a product that could replace a conventional vacuum entirely.

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njharman
my roomba detects heavy dirt and focuses on it. it also has a manual spot
cleaning button.

Finally, being able to set my robot buddy cleaning while I frantically get
ready for guests is a fabulous boon.

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nobody_nowhere
My only criteria for getting another robot vacuum is whether it can detect and
avoid a maliciously placed cat turd.

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w00pla
It may be easier to teach your cat not to leave cat turds lying around than to
teach your robot not to run over them...

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jrockway
Clearly you are not a cat owner.

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electromagnetic
If they use a litter box, add some sand to it. For some strange reason, if
they shit in sand they'll never shit anywhere else. Maybe it's some remote
gene from back when they existed solely in deserts, but I know my two cats
_repeatedly_ ruined my sandpit as a child. You've literally got to replace
_all_ the sand _and_ wash the pit out if you want them to stop.

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pedalpete
I don't think the list of 'features' on the neato are the type that the
average person would understand/care about. They both clean rooms, they look
fairly similar, they both know how to charge themselves, etc. etc.

I think neato needs to differentiate themselves through some other means.
Roomba has the mind-share and brand name (though neato is a good name).

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melipone
The cats will certainly run for their lives, just like when I pull out the
vacuum cleaner. I'm sure they will adapt and it's better not to be associated
with the mean thing. However, does it do fringes? I heard that the Roomba does
not and the oriental carpets have fringes.

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sh1mmer
I just feel like these products just aren't there yet. If I showed this video
to my wife the first thing she would say is that it missed 1" around the wall
and it didn't do under the couch.

For someone living in the city in a small apartment this really isn't worth it
yet.

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brk
Cool, I look forward to checking this out.

I've got a stack of dead Roombas that have been pretty disappointing overall.

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percept
Yeah, my g/f got one about seven years ago with the same result, so it will
take a long time and a better track record before another purchase.

In the meantime she found a (slightly) more intelligent vacuuming device.

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grinich
These guys need to find a better Industrial Designer.

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shin_lao
What about cables? How does it handle that kind of obstacle?

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vinhboy
I like my roomba, it does a good job.

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CamperBob
_It’s been more than seven years since iRobot introduced the world to the
Roomba robotic vacuum. Seven years without fundamental innovation..._

Gee. Aren't patents awesome?

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gcb
boundary marker looks like a tape...

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brianobush
article says "magnetic tape" - should prove better than those battery killing
lighthouses.

