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Grillbot: The BBQ grill cleaning robot does the dirty work for you

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Smart Home, Videos,

Grillbot grill cleaning robot

A Roomba for your barbecue grill. That's what the Grillbot is, and it sounds like something that many could use. Sure, it's just about the end of winter now, but those summer months are coming, and we'd bet there are plenty of crusty grills out there. the Grillbot promises to do the work for you, using its wire brushes to get everything shining again. The grill cleaning robot features push button operation, three motors with replaceable grill brushes, LCD display, timer, and alarm. You can get the Grillbot in orange, blue, red, or black beginning this June, selling for $69.95, or $99.95 for the premium model. Check out a video of how it all works after the break, if you don't mind ridiculous music.

Click to continue reading Grillbot: The BBQ grill cleaning robot does the dirty work for you

Roomba 790: A $700 Roomba with remote control

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smart Home, Wireless / WiFi,

Roomba 790

The Roomba 790 is the latest autonomous vaccuum cleaner from the folks at iRobot, and it's the first that you can control remotely. Yep, the 790 includes a wireless remote control that you can use to direct the Roomba towards any problem areas. The device itself has touch controls, a method to schedule automatic cleanings, and has great battery life. It isn't cheap, though. You can get the Rooma 790 now for $699.99.

Pacmba Chomps Down

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Mods / Hacks, Video Games, Videos, Wireless / WiFi,

What do you get when you cross a Roomba with Pac-man? In Ron Tajima’s case, you get a Pacmba (don’t ask us how to pronounce it.) He took his droid vacuum, tacked on a board with 448 LEDs, and added a Bluetooth remote with circuit driver. Of course, he had to have something for the little guy to chomp on. This is Ron’s second foray into hacking his Roomba. We cannot wait to see what he will come up with next.

Robo Vacuum Cleans Desk Top

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Toys,

If you already have a Roomba for your floor, how about a Robo Vacuum for your desk top? Push the button on its head and its suction power cleans up ashes, cookie and Doritos crumbs, and anything else that seems like it doesn’t belong there. Choose between three colors, and power up with 2 AA batteries (not included) at a price of $14.99 each. When it finishes with your desk, maybe it will get into those small places that your Roomba can’t.

CES 2008: Steamer is Two Roombas in One

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: CES, CES 2008, Smart Home, Misc. Tech,

Steamer There can never be enough cleaning bots. So, in addition to iRobot’s roomba and scooba on the market, there is now one gadget that Hanulkid claims can do both. The bot can sweep door sills up to 1.5 cm high, and features IR, PSD, 3-way gyroscope, geomagnetic, and humidity sensors. When the Steamer has finished sucking up all that dirt, push a button and it will deep clean your carpets. The vacuum/steam cleaner needs 2AA batteries and comes with remote. Four hours of recharge time will give you 2 continuous hrs. of operation. Check with Hanulkid for price and availability.

Looj Races Down your Gutters

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Misc. Tech,

iRobot Looj iRobot is at it again. This time, the Roomba folks have come up with the Looj. Designed for the single task of gutter cleaning, the bot works with standard K-style vinyl, aluminum, copper, or other metal. The company claims that it cleans a 60 ft. section in about ten minutes. The basic model 120 will set you back $99.99 from iRobot, with two other models available with optional holster and/or extra battery pack. We suspect that the name came from the luge, the Olympic sled, but wouldn’t take any bets on it until we see our neighborhood squirrels facing off in a Gutter Looj competition.

Automower Cuts, Fertilizes, and Never Complains

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Misc. Tech, Wireless / WiFi,

Cashing in on the Roomba idea is the Husqvarna Automower. The eco-friendly lawnmower from Sweden runs on batteries and is waterproof with its hidden wires safely tucked inside. With a noise level of about 63 dB, it’s quieter than most of the neighbors’ mowers that are generally around 90 to 100 dB. The Husqvana can travel up 35º inclines, turn your grass into mulch since it cuts minuscule pieces, and runs with PIN code activation on a preset timer. The company promises that it will not mow down your family pet and claims that several owners have already named theirs. That is probably because they weren’t sure how to pronounce Husqvarna.

Roomba 500 Series Now Available

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Smart Home, Misc. Tech,

Roomba Roomba has reinvented itself. After almost 2 million of the vacuuming bots have been sold, iRobot decided to upgrade after listening to owners’ suggestions. The robots can now get out of more jams, slow down when they detect a wall or obstacle, and have one-button activation. They also have the capability of traveling on thicker carpets, avoiding stairs, transitioning easily between floor surfaces and, most importantly, have a built-in tutorial.

The new Roomba 500 series will be shipping in the U.S. in September at prices of $249.99 to $399.99 and for those budget-minded folks, the basic 400 model is available for only $119.99.

Read More | roomba 500 Series Product Page

Auto Mower: Like Roomba, But For Your Lawn

Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Design, Smart Home,

So you’ve heard of the Roomba, right? The device that sweeps your living room for you? Well, if you’ve ever wondered when someone would invent one for the lawn, your prayers have been answered, via the aptly-named Auto Mower from Husqvarna, which runs on its own and can be set to operate at a specific time. Auto Mower works in the rain, climbs inclines, and turns around when it bumps into something. It’s even quiet enough to run at night! Just bury a “boundary wire” around your lawn, so Auto Mower will know not to slay your prize-winning petunias. The device runs on a rechargeable battery, and comes with a dock. And don’t worry: no one can steal your new best friend, as a 4-digit pin number is required to even pick it up. Auto Mower is available (at only a few stores) for $2000. Sounds high, until you compare it to lawnmower fuel costs, hiring someone to mow it for you, or just having some extra free time.

CES 2007: iRobot Create: A Roomba That Doesn’t Suck (Literally)

Posted by Chris Cardinal Categories: CES, CES 2007, Features, Mods / Hacks, Toys,

Description Robotic vacuum manufacturer iRobot has always taken a shine to the modders who hack their Roombas in all sorts of new ways. Delivering an open serial port and full instructions on how to utilize it was a great gesture and a very forward thinking move for them, but their latest, the iRobot Create, might really take off. The Create is essentially a Roomba without all of the vacuuming guts. It’s an open platform, with a bunch of expansion and input and output ports on top, and more room to toy with it, since you don’t have to worry about a place to put all that dust and cat hair. Add-on peripherals will be available, but iRobot expects and encourages users to build their own to interface with it, citing a hamster-ball-driven navigation system one test group has already delivered.

The Create is available right now and is selling for the completely reasonable price of $129.99, with an 8-bit command module costing an additional $59.99.

I can see a lot of educational robot teams and the like buying into this, straight away.

Product Page

(A picture of a beer-fetching Create, after the jump.)

Click to continue reading CES 2007: iRobot Create: A Roomba That Doesn’t Suck (Literally)

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