iRobot Corp. has revealed its new Genius Home Intelligence robot platform, which unlocks new digital features and experiences for the Wi-Fi-connected products, including the Roomba robot vacuum and Braava jet robot mop.
With the new platform, customers can have more control over their cleaning robots, including their homes, schedules, cleaning preferences, and smart home integrations.
The iRobot Home app has been redesigned to function as a more personalized and easy to use control centre, says the company. Available for all Wi-Fi-connected iRobot products, it supports cleaning based on your habits and personal preferences, and provides greater insight into cleaning performance.
For example, you can send the robot to clean a mess right where it happens using Clean Zones. The Roomba i7, i7+, s9, and s9+ robot vacuums and Braava jet m6 robot mops use machine learning to automatically detect and proactively suggest Clean Zones around specific objects, like couches, tables, and kitchen counters. You can also customize your Smart Map by designating their own precision Clean Zones, allowing for targeted cleaning in specific areas or around objects that attract the most common messes. Use the app or speak to a voice assistant device and give a command like “Roomba, clean around the couch,” and Roomba knows where to go.
A new feature centred around your personal cleaning routines includes event-based automations that let the robot know when the ideal time is to start or stop cleaning based on prompts that are defined by the user. The app can use location-based services like Life360 or take prompts from smart home devices like the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, to know when you’re away and begin cleaning. Likewise, it can stop cleaning when you return. These automations can be set up directly within the iRobot Home App, an exclusive capability for iRobot customers that is powered by iRobot Genius and IFTTT Connect, and includes the ability to easily integrate iRobot Wi-Fi connected products with other household connected devices and services, like smart thermostats and locks, without having to leave the iRobot Home App.
Recommended cleaning schedules are based on your most common cleaning patterns like cleaning on Monday mornings. Roomba i7/i7+ and s9/s9+ robot vacuums and Braava jet m6 robot mops can also provide room-specific recommendations like vacuuming the living room on Friday evenings, or in the dining room and kitchen after meals.
Favourites enable you to quickly create and access your own pre-set cleaning routines, like, “After Dinner,” which instructs the robot to clean the dining room and in front of the kitchen counter, “Bedtime” to clean the playroom and living room floors, or “Everywhere” to clean the whole home.
New Recommended Keep Out Zones go beyond manual Keep Out Zone creation. Roomba i7/i7+ and s9/s9+ robot vacuums and Braava jet m6 robot mops can automatically learn to avoid trouble areas and recommend specific Keep Out Zones to users.
Seasonal recommendations offer personalized suggestions to automatically schedule cleanings or suggest times when your home may need more frequent cleaning, like pet-shedding or allergy seasons.
Personalized cleaning experiences powered by iRobot Genius Home Intelligence and the new iRobot Home App will be available to customers worldwide via a software update beginning August 25.