The first robotic vacuum cleaners appeared roughly 25 years ago, and in the last decade they have conquered the global and Hungarian markets. Their popularity is demonstrated by the fact that some companies are not even interested in traditional vacuum cleaners, but are paying a lot of attention to robots.
They include the Xiaomi which many people think of mobile phones, even though the company already has a strong position in the household in the machinery sector, thanks in part to these tools. In this article, we look at why a robot vacuum cleaner is a good choice, what to look out for when buying one, and who can benefit from them.
What are you doing?
Robotic vacuum cleaners have the ability to clean a room fully automatically, without any human guidance or assistance. This means that, at least in the better products, they start from a point, using their sensors to measure the terrain and record the route they have already taken.
This will, ideally, allow them to reach every square inch of the room over time. They have a built-in motor or suction head, which enables them to clean up any dirt. And once the job is done, they return to their starting point and wait for their owner to empty their dust bin.
Is it useful?
Let's start with the most important thing: A well-functioning robot vacuum cleaner can be very useful, and it is safe to say that it can be a great help to users. But it requires the sensors and controls to work well and the suction power to be adequate. So just because something is called a robot vacuum cleaner, it is not necessarily useful.
Who can become
It is important to make clear that a robot vacuum cleaner is not for everyone. These are typically round or square products, with a diameter of 30-40 centimetres and an edge length. So they don't fit everywhere, nor can they put things away on their own. In a messy room where everything is thrown on the floor, or in a room with very tight spaces, a robot vacuum cleaner cannot do a good job. Nor can such a device work miracles.
Energy supply
Today, all robot vacuum cleaners are equipped with batteries. Charging is done via a dedicated dock connected to the mains power source, which the machine returns to automatically at the end of each cleaning cycle in normal operation, or when the electronics sense that the battery is low.
The capacity of the plant is therefore a key factor in the assessment of a product, as it determines the uptime. There are already Xiaomi robotic vacuum cleaners that can clean for up to two hours continuously and can clean up to 180 square metres of floor space on a single charge.
Suction power
This is one of the most important parameters for a robotic vacuum cleaner, because if there is a problem with it, it makes the product redundant. In a new-generation Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner, for example, this value can reach 2100 Pa, which is enough for even the most stubborn dirt.
Undo
There are now machines that, in addition to vacuuming, can also be used for mopping and wiping up surfaces thanks to their built-in water tank. This can be a very useful extra, of course.
Governance
Xiaomi is at the forefront of how to connect vacuum cleaners and smartphones. The company's app tracks the work done by the product. That is, how much of the room it has finished, what the battery and the charge level of the dust and water tanks are. The mode of operation can be changed and it is also possible to specify which part of the property the product should clean first. All of this obviously increases the efficiency of the machine, so that it can do an even more useful job for the user.
Threshold climbing
Some homes have thresholds and/or thick carpets. For such properties, it is advisable to choose a product that can already overcome vertical barriers. Xiaomi, for example, offers robotic vacuum cleaners that can work their way over heights of up to two centimetres.
Easily replaceable parts
It is true that parts that are subjected to high stress, such as brushes or heads, can fail. It's worth choosing a tool that can be easily replaced in-house.
