IRobot's Roomba J7+ Still Proving an Automatic Vacuum's Worth Over Time!
As I have admitted in past articles, I believe in all things Roomba-related. In this article, I wrote about my latest addition, the iRobot J7+ Roomba automatic vacuum, and I want to revisit a few new developments.
Without rehashing all of the particulars of the previous article, let’s dive into the latest developments:
I bought this J7+ with the promise it would be a much smarter unit regarding avoiding obstacles all previous models have stumbled over. My family does not have pets; we are not particularly worried about dog or cat droppings. Our problems lie with loose cords, stray socks, and other articles of clothing. The J7+ is supposed to avoid these obstacles, complete the cleaning cycle, and return to the base to empty the contents into the base’s self-contained bin. I have found this unit to perform this duty and just a bit more.
It wasn’t long after I purchased this the unit began to map and learn about my house. It created a map of the house, and I was able to label each room to concentrate on those rooms I wanted to clean more frequently. Soon I was receiving reports with problem spots highlighted like this:
I was ecstatic to see the updates iRobot promises were starting to take hold. Let’s face it, some cables just can’t be avoided, and you will always have something to obstruct your Roomba. Now I can review the problem area and make an informed decision.
Check out this problem area with a new throw rug we added under our Trestle Dining Room Table. The rug is still settling into its final position.
There are technically four choices here, but I opt for the Keep Out Zone in this case. Technically this could be classified as a temporary obstacle., but we need to work to get this rug to lay down flat.
I had a recent conversation with my wife about how cold the house seemed to feel. She quickly told me that the Roomba was closing our HVAC registers during the cleaning process. Imagine my glee when this alert came over:
These vents are a little bit high when sitting and easy to shut. I love that I can have the Roomba avoid these at all costs. I imagine it will also reduce the wear and tear on the unit overall. Now our mapped house looks like this:
Conclusion: I don’t think the unit is done learning as it seems to be once a week I get a new picture of a possible problem zone. I am looking forward to adding additional heat registers as they have not all been identified yet. The iRobot J7+ Roomba is the most innovative robotic vacuum cleaner I have ever owned. More importantly, I have yet to find it hung up or stalled out somewhere in the home. I can rest assured if I tell this unit to clean, it will do it and return home until its next job!
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