Though most automated vacuum cleaners are happy to bounce around your rooms, bumping into furniture like a drunk sleepwalker, IROBOT ROOMBA 980 is leading the pack in terms of vacuum intelligence.
Armed with a number of iAdapt 2.0 navigation sensors and iRobot’s proprietary visual simultaneous localisation and mapping technology (or vSLAM for short), the Roomba 980 impressed greatly when it was released in the US and UK late last year. Now, iRobot’s most advanced vacuum cleaner to date has finally arrived on Australian shores.
As packed as it is with high tech features, including newly-added iOS and Android app control and Wi-Fi connectivity, the Roomba 980’s increased functionality over previous models does bring with it a hefty price tag – one that may realistically make the unit inaccessible for many users (US$899 / £799.99 / AU$1499).
That said, we’re convinced that the iRobot Roomba 980 offers enough robotic wizardry and technological advancements to make it a viable purchase for those who can afford it, or an utterly magnificent gift that’ll likely make you the favourite son or daughter in your family.
The set up
Right out of the box, it’s possible to have the Roomba 980 up and running in a matter of minutes. Once you’ve plugged your Home Base docking station’s power cord into a wall socket, all you have to do is remove the battery pull tab and yellow bin insert from the Roomba’s undercarriage, press the clearly marked ‘Clean’ button in top of the unit, and your automated vacuum will start cleaning your home immediately.
Press the unit’s ‘Home’ button, and the Roomba 980 will stop everything and, in one of its most impressive acts of futuristic awesomeness, automatically guide itself over to its charging station like it’s following a homing beacon. It’ll also do this when it’s running low on battery or if its bin is full.
Appy days
Though this control method is already quite easy to manage, the Roomba 980 is also the first iRobot device that can be controlled via an iOS or Android app. Connecting the unit to the app is a cinch – the iRobot app will automatically detect your Wi-Fi network and ask if you want to connect your Roomba to it.
Next, type in the password to your Wi-Fi network and hit continue. Go to the unit and hold down the buttons with ‘Home’ and ‘Crosshair’ symbols on them until you hear a tone and the lights blink. Release the buttons and the ‘Wi-Fi’ indicator will flash to let you know it’s attempting to connect. Once the network setup is complete, you can now start and stop your Roomba 980 from your phone, schedule up to three cleaning times per day, and even adjust the device’s cleaning behaviour, such as whether you want it to automatically initiate carpet boost mode or perform edge cleaning duties.
It should be noted that issuing commands to the Roomba 980 from your smartphone or tablet isn’t an instantaneous affair. Actually, the vacuum performs sort of like a printer in this regard, sending queued requests that will sometimes take a few minutes to be recognised. At first, you may be tempted to
repeatedly issue these commands in an attempt to get a response, but this will only add more jobs to your queue and get you further from your desired action.
Domo arigato, Mr. iRobot
The Roomba 980’s iAdapt 2.0 navigation sensors allow it to move around and clean an entire floor of your house without crashing into things or dropping down stairs or ledges. It will still bump into walls and furniture, but in a way that’s ever so gentle.
Cleverly mapping your home’s layout as it cleans, iRobot’s vSLAM technology actually scans the environment around the Roomba 980 to memorise and create distinct visual landmarks. This helps it keep track of where it has already been, making clean up jobs more direct and efficient.
Instead of forcing its way through things, the Roomba 980 will hug itself along obstructions, including chair legs, bicycle wheels or any other solid object that’s touching the floor, inching around them until it’s cleaned as much uncovered floor space as possible.
At 35.05cm in diameter, the Roomba 980 is wider than your average vacuum head, but thanks to its circular design and rotating body, it’s able to manoeuver through narrower areas than you’d initially think were possible.
It’s pretty low to the ground, too, though at 9.14cm in height, there’s a chance it could be a little too tall to pass under some beds, which is the kind of hard-to-reach area that would be ideal for an automated vacuum such as this.
In the box, you’ll also find a pair of battery-operated Dual Mode Virtual Wall Barriers. As the name implies, these act as a virtual wall that will keep the Roomba from crossing certain areas. For instance, if you don’t want the Roomba to enter a particular room, you can place one of these barriers down by the entrance. These are also great for keeping the device away from your ground-level pet food bowls.
