I do it for the toys:
OK, it's not like they gave me a robot vacuum cleaner because of the blog, but I spent some of the money I got paid for blogging on this. It helped that there was a talk by Colin Angle of iRobot on campus a while back, talking about the history of the company, as part of the dedication of a new robotics lab in the CS department. He was an excellent speaker and a fairly charming guy, and more importantly, he handed out a bunch of 20% off coupons to people after the talk...
There are a bunch of justifications for buying this: Kate and I both hate doing housework, I have allergy problems that might be dust-related, etc. But, really, I'm just geeky enough to think it's really cool to own a cleaning robot...
As for the picture, it's sort of fascinating to watch the random pattern it follows while cleaning-- it spent what seemed like an inordinate amount of time noodling around on one side of the living room, making us wonder if it would ever get to the kitchen, but it did eventually wander over there. It seems to have done a good job, and gotten all the rooms (we went out to dinner while it was still cleaning). Kate's really tempted to scatter baking soda all around the house, to see if it really does get everywhere, but we're trying to resist.
The Queen of Niskayuna found the whole thing a little disconcerting, but didn't freak out completely. She mostly gave it as wide a berth as possible (as you can see), but there wasn't any barking, which is good.
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Dogs (and people too) automatically classify objects as "living" or "inanimate". There are some fascinating psychological studies on this, having to do with predictability, and the ability to start moving without needing an impulse from something else.
Cool. I have four that would want to herd it. And, four whose attack instincts would be triggered. All would see it as prey. With eight four-legged creatures in the house, and hating housework as I do, I've been tempted, but the outcome would be predictable... pure pandemonium.
I am jealous. Not of the vacuum (well, maybe a little bit of the vacuum) but of the adorable dog.
How's the continuing Roomba experience going for you? I'm seriously considering buying one, but mixed reviews on the longevity of the device are delaying the purchase decision...
We are completely satisfied with this product.
I am fascinated by the pattern the robot follows - it appears random, but of course true randomness cannot be programmed. :)
It looks like a study in scatter theory or other complex mathematics. Somebody did a calculation that if you make x number of turns and let the thing go for x amount of time the entire room will be covered.
BTW: we named our inanimate object "Scooter".