Neato intros robot vacuum with laser-made maps
updated 02:10 pm EST, Wed December 16, 2009
Neato XV-11 robot vacuum has laser recognition
Neato Robotics on Wednesday introduced a robotic vacuum cleaner that will automatically clean floors. The XV-11 is the first such device to use laser vision to avoid most obstacles in a room without hitting them. Thanks to the RPS tech, the XV-11 has a 360-degree view of a room and can see doorways, walls, furniture and other obstacles that are more than four inches tall and up to over 13 feet away. It is also short enough, at just under four inches, to clean under beds and couches. Its D-shaped design also lets it get deeper into corners for more thorough cleaning. Its dirt bin is sized at 0.69 quarts.
Once a room is mapped, the XV-11 can more efficiently vacuum a room by using less energy than the Roomba and other similar systems. The vacuum uses a centrifugal compression impeller to pick up dust and debris and users can set cleaning schedules thanks to an easy to understand interface. Once done cleaning, the XV-11 will return to its base to recharge.
Neato will offer the XV-11 in February through its website and some other retail locations for $399.
