iRobot: Robot vacuum cleaners to be able to detect animal “kick mines” in the future

iRobot is considered one of the most popular manufacturers of robot vacuums. However, no matter how expensive the smart robot has been so far, dog owners regularly had to fear one problem – the consequences of an overlooked dog poop. Future models from the company should be able to eliminate this problem. A special recognition system is supposed to make it possible. The first representative is expected to launch this year.

Vacuuming robots are getting smarter

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Vacuum cleaner robots have undoubtedly revolutionized the domestic household. After all, the little helpers are now automated to ensure that at least coarse dust and dirt don’t stand a chance. However, automatic rotation through one’s own four walls can also have its pitfalls. A few years ago, the story of a U.S. citizen made the headlines. He reported that his Roomba vacuum robot had done something terrible during a nightly cleaning tour. Thus the smart aids drove by a freshly put of the young dog living in the household. The consequences were costly and disgusting at the same time.

Unattended the robot drove then its complete round by the dwelling and distributed the excrements of the quadruped in each area. No matter whether, child room, carpets or table legs – the remainders of the small dog were everywhere. Particularly serious was probably the pollution of the valuable Jackson Pollock painting, which is in the possession of the US American. iRobot took this incident as an opportunity to act. At that time, the company announced that it was aware of the problem and that such scenarios would happen all too often. Now the robot manufacturer seems to have found a solution.

Suction robot with “animal excrement detection” soon available

Now iRobot has announced that they have found a solution to the problem. Still this year a new model is to go to the start that is to have a special recognition of animal excrement on board. The Roomba J7+ is supposed to recognize corresponding piles as obstacles to be avoided and then be able to go around them. However, iRobot also charges quite a bit for this technical progress. The vacuum robot is supposed to cost a whopping 999 euros for owners who are not yet housebroken or incontinent animals. For those who have experienced a similar hassle as the puppy owner in the story at the beginning, this feature will be well worth the price.

But how does the new vacuum do it? Of course, iRobot does not want to reveal its new recognition concept entirely. The company had only talked about using the modern ways of so-called machine learning. In particular, thousands and thousands of images of animal piles were used to train the AI of the small vacuum cleaner robot. Now it is able to reliably recognize corresponding obstacles.

US Americans get a warranty

In the U.S., buyers of the new Roomba should even get a special warranty for the functioning of the new detection mechanisms. This is funnily abbreviated P.O.O.P. and is made up of the words Pet Owner Official Promise. Behind this guarantee is the promise that Roomba will commit to providing a new model for one year if the old one fails and spreads pet excrement all over the home.

Should you own a pet that’s more prone to throwing up, by the way, the Roomba J7+’s new detection feature isn’t supposed to be too reliable. The manufacturer explicitly refers to solid droppings. Diarrhea is not likely to be covered by this either. The added value is therefore limited and probably falls into the category of “marketing gimmick”. For owners of a small puppy, however, the feature of the new Roombas should be quite practical.