The Roomba is a robotic cleaner that zips around hardwood floors, tile, and low-nap carpeting, vacuuming up dirt. I've had a loaner for almost six months and I like it, though it isn't perfect.
There are five models, and the one I'm using is the iRobot Roomba Scheduler, which Costco sells for $260 (I've seen it for $175 online.
The Roomba is 13 inches in diameter and about 4 inches high, so it's low enough to get under most furniture. It's also noisy as all get out, at about 80 decibels. You'll want to be in another room while it's running.
As you might except, the Roomba is smart. It finds its way around a room, gently bumping off walls and furniture. It senses when it's about to topple off a ledge and turns in the other direction. When it detects a batch of dirt, it focuses on the area and then moves off to finish the room.
On one hand, the Roomba is truly a walk-away device. It's a pleasure to push the Power and Clean buttons, then leave the house, knowing that the job will be done--mostly. The Roomba is also cute, and fun to watch.
But there's the other hand...
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