It also shows you a map of where the robot has been so you can interrogate how throughly it has covered the available floor space, which is reassuring. Rather than relying on side brushes, the brush bar covers the width of the product, so the path it takes is the path it cleans without throwing up dust particles into the air. Lastly, the Dyson’s suction was not as strong as my extremely powerful Miele bagged vacuum.
First up, the Dyson 360 Eye looks fantastic and comes in a choice of blue or fuchsia colors. The Radial Root Cyclone suction that has made Dyson literally a household fixture around the world is present and correct, while innovative 360-degree visual mapping means this little robot doesn’t miss a corner. You’ll also notice no brushes sticking out from the edges of the Dyson – cleaning is handled by a motorised brush bar with the same carbon filaments and nylon bristles you’ll find on an upright cleaner from the company. Stick vacuums have been popular because of their lightweight and cordless mobility, which makes cleaning less of a hassle than schlepping an upright corded vacuum around. Generally, though, the sticks have served as a secondary cleaner to a full-size vacuum because of their short battery life and relatively weak suction. On full power, you get around 30 to 40 minutes out of the 360 Eye.
It can also be speedily adjusted to a handheld for those closer cleaning jobs. When you think of the latest and greatest cleaning technology, you’re likely to immediately jump to robot vacuum cleaners – the gadgetry-filled discs of convenience. While robo-vacuums are pretty great, there’s still plenty of power and innovation to be had with traditional vacuums too – and Dyson is leading the way.
You can split your home up into zones and rooms, too, using the app to select the options and vacuum power mode you want to use on each. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our lives—from culture to business, science to design.
Finally, there’s a No Climb option, which prevents the robot from trying to lift up over obstacles, such as furniture that has support bars. For me, the latter feature proved useful for a coffee table that has an X-shaped set of legs that run across the floor. While the majority of robot vacuum cleaners make do with wheels, the Dyson 360 Heurist has a pair of tank tracks, designed to propel the robot over obstacles and through longer-pile shark cordless rugs, for example. All robot vacuums will try to pick up pet hair but, as with other types of dirt, models with higher suction will generally do a better job. There’s also quite a disparity in how easily hair gets tangled in a vacuum’s rollers and sweepers, which will eventually cause a drop in performance as a whole. Many robot vacuums have weak suction, and have more in common with carpet sweepers than stick vacs.
The bin is small but easy to empty, although it lacks the finesse of larger Dyson products that eject the mess. It is quite pricey, so you may want to look out for those Dyson vacuum deals. It picks up from where the 360 Eye left off and is still one of the most feature rich robot vacuum cleaners available. However, it’s also pretty clumsy initially and you’ll have to do a lot of tweaking to get it performing at its peak in your house. The price it’s in the upper echelons of the robo cleaner price range but you do know that you’re paying for tried and tested technology with the Dyson brand, and the cleaning performance is superb.
In quiet mode the decibels are reduced to about 45 with is about as loud as a normal conversation in a restaurant. The 360 Eye has one full-length bar that combines irobot vacuum cleaner nylon bristles with carbon fiber brushes for cleaning on all floor types. The bar replaces the need for side brushes as it is the entire width of the machine.
The Roomba proved to be the first commercially successful robot vacuum. In 2005, iRobot introduced the Scooba, which scrubbed hard floors. The teleplay for this episode which was entitled “Thingumajig” was written by Terry Nation. A quality filter is very important for removing microscopic allergens like dust mites, pet dander, and pollen from the air as it passes through. Most small robot vacuums do not have much in the way of filtration as there just isn’t enough onboard room to fit a filter in.