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...Although iRobot's Roomba, the robotic vacuum cleaner, was a hip innovation, it had its share of problems. It was better at capturing the imaginations of robot lovers than it was at capturing the grit and grime that collect in carpet. It occasionally choked on wires, tassels and other stringy things that might be lying in its path, and could easily be shown up by the vacuum cleaner you already own. Since most people don't own floor buffers or other electric mopping equipment, the Scooba isn't following a hard act. The alternative to robot floor washing is pulling...
...other advantage Scooba has over its big brother Roomba is that the areas you want to clean with the Scooba are somewhat more confined. Kitchens and bathrooms are the most likely candidates for regular scrubbing, and it only takes the Scooba around 10 or 20 minutes to thoroughly cover even a spacious chef's kitchen. In our house, it managed to cover every inch of the kitchen floor in that time. The linoleum that had been greasy and sticky, with the occasional crusted food spot, was buffed to a smart shine...
Squeegee Clean Inventor: Blake Krikorian Availability: Now, $400 To Learn More: irobot.com Scooba, iRobot's follow-up to Roomba, the robotic vacuum, steals a few tricks from its predecessor to tackle a different chore: mopping tile, linoleum or sealed hardwood floors. With each pass, Scooba completes four tasks: it sweeps loose debris, sprays a special Clorox cleaning solution onto the floor, scrubs the surface with a brush and then uses a "squeegee-vac" to suck up the dirty water. Like Roomba, Scooba works around obstacles and has "cliff" sensors that prevent it from falling down stairs. Different sensors keep Scooba...
LIFESTYLE: Quinceaneras go mainstream; Roomba improved...
With 500,000 units sold since its 2002 debut, iRobot's vacuum cleaner the Roomba is a hit. But the new Roomba Discovery ($249) works even better. Its DirtDetect feature prompts the vacuum to spend more time on trouble areas. Smart sensors know when the sucker is stuck and help it dislodge. And the dustbin is three times as large. But in TIME's tests, the Discovery still got stuck on the edges of a rug and missed dust in corners. It's fun to watch, though. --By Anita Hamilton