Neato XV-11 Robot Looks Fit To Dance With The Roomba

[eigenlance]

http://www.robotreviews.com/news/neato- ... nce-roomba

[CheddarBob]

I personaly think this robot could go far, but i think the overall look of the vacuum looks so dated like a 1940's
Hoover. Please get some style in to the equation as well as good features.

[Fraggboy]

I personally don't care about the looks. As long as it performs as promised and cleans a home effectively is my main concern.

[CheddarBob]

Most of the general public buy with there eyes. If Neato want to shift loads of units then this area needs to be addressed.

[Fraggboy]

Most of the general public buy with there eyes. If Neato want to shift loads of units then this area needs to be addressed.

Do you have proof that Most of the general public buys with their eyes? The people who are interested and/or own a robotic vacuum just wants a vacuum with little to no maintenance, and close to run autonomously as possible. IF this robot works great as they claim, I'm sure they can work on the cosmetics later on to entice the other (undetermined) percentage.

EDIT: Do you own a robotic vacuum? If so, what model(s)?

[CheddarBob]

Supermarkets don't spend millions on packaging just to lower there overall percentage of profit, when a simple clear plastic bag would do. It is a fundamental part of our modern society.

[Fraggboy]

If you have come across the iRobot new patents of their new model coming up, it has some similarity to the Neato design with the snub nose in front. There is a great advantage of having that snub nose. It can get right into a corner much closer than with a robot with a round body, like the current 5xx Roomba's.

I did add a question while you were typing. Do you currently own a robotic vacuum(s)? If so, which one(s)? Also, could you back your claim up with proof? As far as I can tell, it's just speculation which is fine with me. Your entitled to your opinion like everyone else.

[vic7767]

Having been born in the 40s, I like the Retro-robot look.

[CheddarBob]

The snub nose can be still incorporated, thats not the point im trying to make. Im talking about the overall look of the machine. All im saying, like i said in my personnal opinion i think the Neato is a very ugly looking machine. How much of the general public go right in to the nuts and bolts of robotic vacuums. Sure id love the vacuum to do exactly what is says it can do. I like the ideas Neato has come up with, im not knocking that. It's just dam ugly, in my opinion. I have a SAMSUNG VC-RE72V. LG didn't make there new robot look the way it did for nothing. Square or circle dosen't matter, any shape can have style. The Neato dosen't have any, in my opinion.

Moderator's Note: Removed Demeaning comment.

[Fraggboy]

Your personal opinion has been noted and I'm sure Neato employees are reading this forum and will take note.

[CheddarBob]

Sorry, didn't intend to write a Demeaning comment. Was just stating a fact. Im sure i could of been a bit more tactful in my comment. It's up to Neato at the end of the day, i know what persuades me when im choosing what to buy. Features and style.

[vic7767]

Cheddarbob, what kind of cleaning robots are you running now ?

[CheddarBob]

At the moment a SAMSUNG VC-RE72V. I was thinking of buying another and the Neato caught my eye. But if i was to buy another it would be either the new Samsung or the LG.

[vic7767]

CheddarBob, my apologies for not reading your post above and paying attention to the info you already shared. Thanks for the info.

[mfortuna]

My wife mentioned the robot should be square so it can do corners when she first saw a roomba red run 4+ years ago. I should have listened to her

Regardless of the styling, features, etc. any new robot that gives Irobot competition should help consumers! Irobot will have to respond or forget the commercial market.

[CheddarBob]

Iv'e never understood how I Robot have been able to sell so many units. There record of machines breaking down is appalling. The machines seem rather dumb and the looks arn't that enticing.

[Roland]

Iv'e never understood how I Robot have been able to sell so many units. There record of machines breaking down is appalling. The machines seem rather dumb and the looks arn't that enticing.

iRobot's Roombas have done what they're designed to do very effectively at an affordable price for quite some time. Most of the competition that they've had to date has either been too expensive, didn't really perform that well, or just didn't stick around for long. I'm happy to see some new competition arriving but like many Roomba owners I'll take a "wait and see" approach to these new devices.

[THX-1138]

I personally like the "retro" look because it reminds me of the Sci-Fi movie "Blade Runner". What I really like about Neato XV-11 from the get-go is the fact of using SLAM technology to map out cleaning areas. The non-round design was an interesting choice by Neato but from the CES videos that I have seen it appears that it does not do the corners very well:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud7M_nolf4U[/video]

Also having rollers wheels like the original and early 4000 series Roomba will create some issues on hard floors (premature wear and floor scratching).



The rest looks like the typical current automated floor cleaning robot. It would be superb if Neato implemented a system like the Karcher RC3000 automatic dirt bin/main brush cleaner. Looking forward to this robot and others that want to compete with iRobot.

[CheddarBob]

I agree, from the videos posted of the Neato in action. It seems to go AROUND the corners which in my opinion seems to defeat the object of having a square front. I think Neato need to study the way a human would use a traditional vacuum to realy get the best out of this machine. I still feel the Asian robots still have the upper hand in the battle so far for the best allround machine. Functions, Price, Build Quality and Style.

[TechGuy]

Iv'e never understood how I Robot have been able to sell so many units. There record of machines breaking down is appalling. The machines seem rather dumb and the looks arn't that enticing.

Since Roomba breaks within a year and iRobot does not repair them, I would say most of them ended up at the landfill. This is how iRobot can sell so many.