The iRobot Roomba 980 brookstone robot vacuum Vacuum Cleaner

Robot vacuum and Mop self empty vacuums sweep pet hair, lint, and dust from floors before it can settle. They can also stay clear of obstacles like furniture that is unstable and staircases.

Most robotic vacuums require maintenance. This involves emptying the bin (and occasionally, rinsing it) and wiping the cameras and sensors. They also require to be plugged in. Many come with smartphone apps to schedule, adjust settings and more.

iRobot Roomba 960

The iRobot Roomba 980 is the latest model in the series of top-of-the-line robot vacuum cleaners that are a staple of any modern household. This model is extremely powerful suction and a HEPA filter that can aid anyone who is concerned about allergies. It also comes with a powerful battery which can be cleaned for up to two hours, and return to its dock automatically once the bin is full.

It also comes with an option called smart mapping that uses multiple sensors to help determine the areas in your home that require attention and create a cleaning path around them. We've seen this technology in action and it does an excellent job of moving around toys that are placed on the floor or furniture legs that are sticking out from under the furniture. Roomba also has a sensor that will snap Roomba back to reality when it begins to move away from its initial location.

iRobot has also introduced a new set of rollers underneath the bottom of the Roomba that don't have bristles and therefore tend to resist tangles more than the previous models. They are also taller and can fit under beds or couches with low sides. They're specifically designed to make this model more movable on various floor types.

What makes the Roomba 980 stand out from other models of this class, though, is its integration of the new dirt detection feature, robot vacuum and mop self empty which uses a camera to spot bits of embedded dirt. This is a significant improvement over the previous version that relied on an algorithm that was driven by sensors to bounce around the room, and then clean the area three times, at different angles.

The Roomba 980 performed well in our tests on carpets and hard floors. It scored very well on low-pile carpet and also on mid-pile. It was successful in getting rid of pet hair, but had a difficult time with the long and thick pet hair that was stuck together.

The Roomba 980 is still one of the best performing robots on our list despite the minor drawbacks. It's also less expensive than other top-of-the-line models. It still has a lot of features that we'd expect to see in a top-of-the-line model however it lacks all the fancy app-enabled functions or smart home integration are found in other top models.

The iRobot Roomba can be set up quickly and is ready for use right away. After taking off the battery pull tab and yellow bin insert from undercarriage, all you need to do is plug it into its Home Base docking station or an outlet on the wall, press its large "Clean" button and let it get to work. It will automatically return to its dock when its battery runs out or is full of debris. It also has indicators at the top of the device to indicate that its bin is full, it needs to be recharged, or its Wi-Fi signal is lost.