New models will come out with new features and options and eventually there will be a clear winner. Back in the old days when we were all young children (2002 – 2014), robot vacuums relied on audio and touch-sensitive sensors to detect objects and obstacles. According to Dyson, most other robot vacuums use “weak, inefficient motors” in order to conserve battery life. British engineering company Dyson has announced its first robot vacuum cleaner at an event in Tokyo.
However, everything else about this robot vacuum cleaner is top drawer, from the logical way it maps a room to the efficient way it cleans. Now all Roborock needs to do is follow iRobot’s shark cordless lead and create a model with a self-emptying bin. Although even without one, the S6 MaxV is our champion droid, having been declared Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner at the T3 Awards 2021.
It boasts a reactive AI system that uses two cameras to detect objects in real time. And with 2,400Pa suction power and a mopping feature , the device is adaptable and prepared for deep cleaning. The dustbin is on the small side at 330ml and we did find it needed emptying after every complete clean (even when the house was reasonably dust-free dyson robot vacuum to start with). However, we liked that the machine comes with a lightweight charging base, it can be folded up when not in use or easily tucked away in a corner. The camera function also helps you to switch from floor to floor, and the variety of detectors onboard ensures that you won’t drop itself off the stairs like a blind sheep.
Too little and it would take most or all of the focus of one human to manage one robot, which may be appropriate in special situations like explosive-ordnance disposal but is otherwise not efficient. Too much autonomy and you’d start to have issues with trust, safety, and explainability. After a couple of minutes, RoMan hasn’t moved—it’s still sitting there, pondering the tree branch, arms poised like a praying mantis. In chaotic, unfamiliar, or poorly defined settings, reliance on rules makes robots notoriously bad at dealing with anything that could not be precisely predicted and planned for in advance.
Note that you’ll still have to move other obstacles, such as cables and shoes; unlike the Roborock S6 MaxV, the 360 Heurist can’t spot and avoid common objects automatically. Once you’ve created a map, you can divide it into zones, splitting it into different rooms. Each zone can be labelled with a room type, with a handy icon allowing you to see at a glance how your home is split up. Dyson touts its carbon fiber and nylon brush that’s roughly as wide as the 360 Eye itself, but a lot of the stuff the 360 Eye struggled to collect was hiding in corners or up against the side of the test pens. It doesn’t actually store and remember routes, though, since furniture and other obstacles can move between runs.
The “360” part suggests that the robot will follow in the 360 Eye’s rolling brush-steps by carrying a 360-degree vision system. The 360 Eye has a small camera on top and sensors on the sides. Choose High mode for powerful suction, Max mode for even deeper cleans, or Quiet mode for low-noise cleaning. Combines the 78,000rpm Dyson digital motor V2 with patented Radial Root Cyclone™ technology, for powerful suction.