Neato XV11 Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Neato have built the XV11 robotic vacuum cleaner perhaps in attempt to knock Roomba off the top spot. The Neato XV11 appears to be a serious challenger to the Roomba range of robots and has a number of significant improvements that could see it do very well.

The Neato XV11 works slightly different when cleaning a room by using what appears to be a more methodical approach. When compared to the Roomba that uses a spiralling pattern along with a system which allows the Roomba to bounce of objects and appears to randomly cover the carpet, the XV11 maps along the walls of the room to know how big the room is. Rooms are typically broken down in to 15' x 15' and if power gets low mid clean, the XV11 goes back to it's base to recharge and then carries on where it left off. Another difference between the two vacuums is that the Roomba uses virtual walls and the XV11 uses laser to detect doorways and wont leave a room unless it is told to do so. The system used on the XV11 is called SLAM which means simultaneous localization and mapping. SLAM has lasers on the top that detect objects 360 degrees around it. With that data pathfinding can be done as well as obstacle avoidance.

Other features are as what can be expected such as edge detection to prevent it falling down the stairs as well as support for other types of floors like laminate etc... Scheduling is also built in allowing you to program the time of day when you want the vacuum to automatically start.

Other things to note with the Neato XV11 is that it runs a lot louder than the Roomba which Neato have said is down to using a more powerful vacuum inside of it. Also, you'll notice that the front of the vacuum has corners rather than being round like the roomba. This gives the vacuum the ability to get right in to corners when needed.

The Neato XV11 should become available in January 2010 costing $399.

Via: PCMag