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I think this is a little cynical. Robotics and AI are moving at a decent pace. I just bought a robot vacuum that is also a mop and has all manner of sensors and

I think this is a little cynical. Robotics and AI are moving at a decent pace. I just bought a robot vacuum that is also a mop and has all manner of sensors and even mapped my house. It was like $250. That's a huge leap over the $500 one I bought years ago that just bounced around randomly and only vacuumed. "Hey why doesnt this have an app and complex sensors and be able to dynamically make a map," would be borderline-laughable not that long ago, but now its the bare minimum for a robot vacuum. I don't even see a lot that don't also mop too. When before the mop feature was seen as this high-end feature, often requiring buying a 2nd machine. Now its just something tacked on. I'm not going to go into the controversial world of assisted and some level of self driving, but its clear that's making a lot of progress and today is just seen as a boring feature on your car, like seatbelts or ABS. I've been watching videos from Chinese robot manufacturers and we definitely are 'getting there.' What getting there means is the big question, but this isn't Omni magazine in 1985. You can see videos of these things doing a lot right now, even if its rudimentary. Unitree especially, considering how they aim for a 'low' price point. Of course a lot of these are carefully staged demos, but the fundamentals are here. Even non-staged stuff is starting to look relatively good. The recent leak about Apple's robot is interesting too. Apple is very conservative, so if they're testing one, even if its a tabletop (with an arm?) that says a lot on what's practically possible and affordable right now. The same way when Apple was testing the PR waters for an electric car, it was a great time to move into electric cars.

walterbell 1y ago
> robot vacuum that is also a mop and has all manner of sensors and even mapped my house. It was like $250 Since we're already in the "submarine" sub-thread, make/model please :)
- 0xffff2 1y ago
  I do would really like to know that make and if/how well the thing actually works. $250 is shockingly cheap compared to any iRobot product. If people are selling a $250 competitor that actually works, how on earth is iRobot even still in business?
  - Izkata 1y ago
    Brand recognition. About two or three years ago my old robot vacuum was finally dying and I did a lot of on and off searching for what was out there. When I started looking almost every competitor was better quality and features than what iRobot had, for around the same price, and they were just starting to play catch-up. I don't know how much they've improved in the past year, though.
  - baumandm 1y ago
    They might not be for long: https://www.theverge.com/news/757434/irobot-earnings-show-roomba-maker-still-struggling https://www.theverge.com/news/757434/irobot-earnings-show-ro...
- vizzier 1y ago
  Not parent, but I've had good success from our Roborock Q5pro. Previously had a Ecovacs T9 aivi. The Ecovacs died twice, each just after a year (ie just out of warranty) needing to have main board/motor replaced. The bells and whistles didn't seem to be worth it. Self emptying station barely worked in an apartment with two people with long hair. Needed a lot of disposable replacement parts (main brush, side brushes, filters). Mopping feels like a bit of a gimmick. The much cheaper Roborock so far has been solid but we've only had it for 4 months. Mapping is marginally better (it is FAR less likely to reset the map on you which is a real annoyance). Filter is washable, main brushes need to be replaced less often. Has a better mechanism for collecting long hair off the brushes. Mop attachment still feels like a gimmick.
- zoeysmithe 1y ago
  Hi, it was one of the roborocks and with a sale at amazon. It looks like the entry models for the 7 and even 8's can be bought around that much still. Or a tad more.
  - walterbell 1y ago
    Thanks!
vel0city 1y ago
FWIW, the first commonly available robo vac that had sensors to make a map and optimally plan out cleaning a room came out 15 years ago, the Neato Botvac XV-11.
fragmede 1y ago
https://youtu.be/HOoRnv3lA0k https://youtu.be/HOoRnv3lA0k is staged to some degree, the question is how much. Even if I have to train it and do an annoying amount of setup work to train it so it works in my home, as opposed to their office, there's a price point where the company selling the robots just includes having a human technician come into your home to train the robot as part of the purchase process.

walterbell 1y ago

> robot vacuum that is also a mop and has all manner of sensors and even mapped my house. It was like $250 Since we're already in the "submarine" sub-thread, make/model please :)

0xffff2 1y ago
I do would really like to know that make and if/how well the thing actually works. $250 is shockingly cheap compared to any iRobot product. If people are selling a $250 competitor that actually works, how on earth is iRobot even still in business?
- Izkata 1y ago
  Brand recognition. About two or three years ago my old robot vacuum was finally dying and I did a lot of on and off searching for what was out there. When I started looking almost every competitor was better quality and features than what iRobot had, for around the same price, and they were just starting to play catch-up. I don't know how much they've improved in the past year, though.
- baumandm 1y ago
  They might not be for long: https://www.theverge.com/news/757434/irobot-earnings-show-roomba-maker-still-struggling https://www.theverge.com/news/757434/irobot-earnings-show-ro...
vizzier 1y ago
Not parent, but I've had good success from our Roborock Q5pro. Previously had a Ecovacs T9 aivi. The Ecovacs died twice, each just after a year (ie just out of warranty) needing to have main board/motor replaced. The bells and whistles didn't seem to be worth it. Self emptying station barely worked in an apartment with two people with long hair. Needed a lot of disposable replacement parts (main brush, side brushes, filters). Mopping feels like a bit of a gimmick. The much cheaper Roborock so far has been solid but we've only had it for 4 months. Mapping is marginally better (it is FAR less likely to reset the map on you which is a real annoyance). Filter is washable, main brushes need to be replaced less often. Has a better mechanism for collecting long hair off the brushes. Mop attachment still feels like a gimmick.
zoeysmithe 1y ago
Hi, it was one of the roborocks and with a sale at amazon. It looks like the entry models for the 7 and even 8's can be bought around that much still. Or a tad more.
- walterbell 1y ago
  Thanks!

vel0city 1y ago

FWIW, the first commonly available robo vac that had sensors to make a map and optimally plan out cleaning a room came out 15 years ago, the Neato Botvac XV-11.

fragmede 1y ago

https://youtu.be/HOoRnv3lA0k https://youtu.be/HOoRnv3lA0k is staged to some degree, the question is how much. Even if I have to train it and do an annoying amount of setup work to train it so it works in my home, as opposed to their office, there's a price point where the company selling the robots just includes having a human technician come into your home to train the robot as part of the purchase process.