Once your robot vacuum/mop is fully charged, it will map your home automatically via the app. Most brands like HOBOT and Ultenic will allow you to set up a host of customisable features such as:
As well as the ability to control your robot vacuum/mop whilst away from home.
The latest robot vacuums/mops use SLAM technology, a must have for any decent robot vacuum or mop. You will know if a robot has SLAM technology, there is normally small round tower on the robot which house the LIDAR.
The LIDAR system uses a laser to constantly measure your home and surroundings. If a chair is moved or door is opened the robot will know. Unlike older robot vacuums that once the home was mapped that is all the robot knew. The LIDAR system has also enabled robot vacuums and mops to clean in methodical straight lines rather than random patterns, conserving battery power and ensuring areas are not missed when cleaning.
If the robot vacuum/mop you are considering purchasing doesn’t have a LIDAR, then it is likely to be old technology using infra-red or bump sensor to clean you home. These systems still work, but are unlikely to store maps, be gentle with furniture and most likely will move in random patterns. Systems like these would retail for under $500.
To clean your robot vacuum will have use a combination of:
Don’t be fooled by too many features thinking it will clean better. For example, many manufactures have moved away from two sweeping brushes. Rather than cleaning better, crumbs would be sent to the opposite sweeping brush and flicked away from the robot vacuum.
Like all robots, they are designed to help maintain your home in a clean state. Meaning, you should be using your robot vacuum frequently, like every day or second day. This prevents the build up of dust and dirt and is better for you and your robot vacuum.
Once your robot vacuum/mop dust bin is full it will either empty it into a self emptying tower like the Ultenic T10 or to an onboard dustbin like the HOBOT LEGEE D7.