Navigation: Our technicians attach a tracking device to the vacuum and map its movement through a multiroom lab. Then they calculate the coverage of the room over multiple runs and note what the vacuum avoids and what it doesn’t. They conduct several runs to see whether the vacuum is able to learn the layout and improve its navigation.

A Winning Investment "We bought this last year (2022) tired of making do with hand-me-downs and tried to clean by hand regularly. We had heard horror stories of new machines not performing as expected. When our Dolphin arrived the first fun part was naming her.

Steve Hogarty is a technology journalist with more than a decade’s experience writing about everything from phones and laptops to the latest smart home gadgets.

I just upgraded to a smart lock with built-in video doorbell camera — and it’s a game changer for my home

A major issue occurred when the app didn’t automatically offer a mopping mode, which requires the scanning of a separate, easy-to-miss QR code, leading the dock to inadvertently suck dirty water into its vacuum bag. We reached out to customer service, which couldn’t solve and therefore escalated the issue.

This solid, affordable robot vacuum has a large bin and excellent cleaning power. It can be scheduled to clean, but it can’t be controlled with an app.

The Roomba s9+ also comes with a self-emptying charging base; while it's unfortunate that you'll have to purchase replacement bags for this base, you will only have to empty the container every 30 days. This will save you a lot of time versus emptying the onboard dustbin.

The PowerDetect even offers more than the pricier competition with an ActiveLift leg. This helps it crawl over obstacles. It effortlessly popped the floor cleaning bot over my home's raised saddles and onto carpets in my living and dining room.

The mopping function is excellent. It doesn’t just swish a mop pad around on the floor, it actually scrubs the floorboards, helping get rid of dried coffee stains.

Robot vacuums have improved tenfold since they were first introduced, both in terms of navigation and pickup. And while the gap between these devices and upright models is indeed closing, there is still admittedly a gap.

). When she’s not testing cool products, she’ll be searching on-line for more decor ideas Automatic Vacuum Cleaners to spruce up her family home or looking for a great bargain!

As Australia's go-to for the latest in home appliances, JB's robot vacuum range covers all the top brands in the game, including:

The iRobot Roomba j7+ stands out for its intelligent mess recognition. It learns from each object it encounters and offers excellent obstacle avoidance. Plus, it’s guaranteed to avoid pet waste. There’s a handy cleaning base as well.

The easy-to-use Shark app makes automating the robot vacuum painless and relays any issues the bot runs into. For the most part, the robot goes out on its own and deposits up to 45 days worth of debris into its bagless docking station.