We just purchased an irobot Rhoomba pet series. (Happy mothers day, wifey!) The thing is amazing! Not the quietest device I have ever witnessed but it does a great job of collecting all the pet hair/dander that our two dogs shed each day. I have just spent the last 30 minutes attempting to "trap" it without success. Does anybody else own one of these? Chris C
My wife & I have had one for about a year now, they work pretty well. We really only have to do a "manual" vacuum every 3 weeks or so, without it we needed to vacuum every 3-4 days. It's good for entertainment value to, really freaks out the cats...
Both of my dogs are hiding in the spare bathroom. They won't even come out to bark at it right now. Hopefully, they'll get used to it. This thing has great entertainment value. Chris C
We got one about a year ago and turn it loose on the way out the door for work. It works pretty well to maintain, but with 3 dogs and 3 cats, we still need to vacuum...
Rhoomba's come in a variety of models, some customized for specific retailers. You have the basic model, you start it, you stop it, you plug it in. The next step plugs itself back in, and uses separate IR turrets to keep it in one room. The top end ones do preprogrammed self starts and fancier IR turrets to pass from room to room on a timed cleaning program.
My sister in law has one. It was a cute novelty, that that has faded. That said; it's no longer used... Also, a singular unit does not do well in a multi level house.
They have a mopping robot. Combining the 2 functions is a matter of time. I imagine the difficulty is size, since the Rhoomba is meant to pass under much furniture. ( I wonder what a Rhoomba would do when it hits my Tulip chairs? http://www.knoll.com/products/product.jsp?prod_id= 39 )
She got a Kindle Fire, breakfast in bed, cards, flowers & a 16x22 SF slab patio as well. The Rhoomba was just a bonus. (For her birthday I plan on getting her a set of PR3's for the Uly!) Chris C