How Your Roomba Operates

Roombas are starting to catch on. These little robot vacuums excel at the long despised task of cleaning floors. It is no wonder that more and more people are purchasing them. But how does a Roomba work exactly?

How They Operate

As stated above, these robot vacuums roam around your home and clean up your floors for you. But they do it in a really bizarre fashion. It is like they are drunk or something. You see, these robot vacuums operate kind of like bats (think sonar). They have sensors for dust, or for detecting when they are near drop off areas like stairs.

When it comes to your furniture and walls, these little guys will bump into them. But Roombas will not do this at full speed; they have a top sensor that detects these types of obstructions. So when a Roomba approaches a wall, it will slow down and tap it. It will not mindlessly crash into it. However, Roombas can not always see table posts and other thinner objects; thus, they tend to bash into these objects with more force.

Fortunately, the table posts suffer no damage from the impacts. You may want to ensure that any items on the table do not fall off when the Roomba bumps into the table; however, this is unlikely to occur. When the Roomba bumps into a wall or table post, they will do one of three things. They may turn around, make a circle, or just follow the wall. It really is quite amusing to watch. You may find yourself laughing at times because the machine will seem so confused. But in the end, these robots always seem to figure out where they are going. And more importantly, they do a good job at cleaning all types of floors.

Starting Your Roomba

Turning your Roomba on may vary slightly depending on the age of the model that you own. Newer models allow you to set a schedule for your Roomba. So if you want your machine to vacuum at five o'clock every Wednesday, you just set the hour and date. And after that, your Roomba will start up on the selected date until they day that it dies. How is that for service? There is also a simple button titled "clean" on top of your Roomba, which you can push to activate it. Older models will be used in this fashion, and the newer ones will have it as well. You can also push this same button when the Roomba is active to shut it down.

When Finished

When your Roomba is finished vacuuming, it will do one of two things. Again this will depend on the model you purchase. Older models will simply shut down and stay where they are. You will then have to pick up the device and place it wherever the charger is.

The newer models will automatically dock themselves. Usually, this works just fine; however, on occasion your Roomba might fail to line up correctly with the charging base. Or dust might be clogging the charging base or the metal connectors on the vacuum. Just dust off the metal connectors and reinsert the Roomba in the charging base. When it is charging, a button on the top will glow orange. After it is finished charging, the button will glow green.

Price Tag

As you would expect, a Roomba will cost you more for the latest model. Older models range between one to three hundred dollars. The newest models are between three and six hundred dollars. Be sure to shop around for the best price. But also keep in mind that some of the older models had issues that the newer models do not.

Roombas are great at keeping your floors clean. And while they do require occasional maintenance, these robot vacuums are generally fun and useful. Just think of them as your own personal maid.