Roomba: Most Popular Roomba Vacuum Models And Features

The Roomba, by the iRobot Company, first hit the market in 2002, and has been updated and improved almost every year since. With millions of Roombas already in use, these are by far the most popular robotic vacuum cleaners in the world today.

The Roomba vacuum is powered by NiMH batteries that can be recharged within seven hours. If you choose a model that's equipped with a fast charger, you can cut the charge time to just three hours.

The Roomba is round, roughly a foot in diameter, and about four inches high. The front half of the vacuum cleaner is surrounded by a bumper that houses sensors to keep it from scratching or marring your furniture and walls.

Roomba vacuum cleaners also have sensors that allow them to automatically adjust to the different floor surfaces in your home. They can detect changing surfaces on the fly and adjust their height for different styles of carpeting, rugs, and even hard surfaces. These sensors also act as "Cliff Sensors", allowing them to detect a stairway or other drop-off, keeping them from falling and getting damaged.

The Roomba works its way around a room, gently bumping into walls and other objects and changing direction. If you want to keep it in a particular area, you can use the "Virtual Wall" feature, which is similar to an invisible fence.

The Roomba vacuum works in three ways. Spinning side brushes pull dirt, pet hair and other debris from along baseboards, under furniture, and other hard to get areas. On the underside, two high speed beater brushes sweep the dirt from your carpet or hardwood floor, then a powerful vacuum motor whisks it away to the dust-bin.

To help keep your air as clean as your floors, the Roomba also includes onboard filtration that traps allergens.

The Roomba is loaded with features that make vacuuming your home a hassle-free job. The basic features, or core technologies as the iRobot Company calls them, include the three stage cleaning system, self adjusting suspension, and counter rotating bristle and beater brushes that work like a broom and dust pan.

Most models are also equipped with at least one virtual wall, and other features that help them do a thorough vacuuming of your house, but not all Roombas are created equal. There are quite a few features that are model specific.

The Roomba 610 Profesional series has 2 virtual walls and 2 interchangeable bins. It's great for high traffic areas. The professional series Roomba also has 'Max' mode, which allows it to continuously clean large, open floorplans.

One of the nicest features of the Roomba is the home base. When the Roomba is finished, or the batteries run low, it will return to the home base to dock and recharge itself.

The Roomba 562 Pet Series robotic vacuum has 2 Auto Virtual walls and 2 interchangeable dust bins. The standard vacuuming bin holds the basic dirt, dust and debris, while the high capacity holds 3 times as much; making it great for high traffic areas and pet hair.

On-board scheduling lets you set up to 7 vacuuming sessions, so the Roomba can vacuum your house while you're at work or the gym. The 562 also comes with the compact home base for self-charging.

The Roomba 530 is a more basic model that includes a Virtual Wall to keep it out of off-limits areas, and the compact home base for recharging.

If you're tired of pushing that upright vacuum around the house, you can let Roomba do all the work for you. The Roomba automatic vacuuming robot can vacuum your home while you're reading a book, working out at the gym or just relaxing in front of the TV.

If you're tired of pushing a mop, the iRobot Company has you covered there, too! The 330 Scooba Floor Cleaning Robot washes hard floor surfaces just as well as the Roomba vacuums! It uses the same sensor technology as the Roomba to avoid carpeting, rugs and stairs, while cleaning under cabinets, tables and chairs.

The Scooba sweeps up dirt and debris before washing with a Clorox cleaning solution. Then it thoroughly scrubs the floor clean, and even dries it with a built-in squeegee. The unit includes one Virtual Wall to keep it out of off-limits areas.

With the Scooba washing your floors and the Roomba vacuuming your whole house, you can always have clean floors, and you won't have to break your back to get them.