Tuesday morning, Bedford-based iRobot announced the release of the latest addition to the Roomba family, the Roomba 880.
Kicking off the iRobot 800 Series Cleaning System, 880 is the first in a new line of robotic vacuums that does away with the concept of a rotating brush. The upgraded robot replaces brushes with two counter-rotating extractors that change the shape of the airflow into the Roomba. The result is iRobot’s most efficient home robot to date.
“Vacuums aren’t growing. Robots are growing,” Max Makeev, iRobot’s Home Robot product manager, told BostInno. “We wanted to fully automate the system so we eliminated the brushes. They create a static charge on carpets that makes it really easy for hair to wrap around the brush. Then you have to stop the vacuum and untangle it. The more you use it, the more it gets clogged. We looked at that as a new opportunity to solve.”
The result is iRobot’s new, patent-pending debris extractor tech called AeroForce. Making its debut in the Roomba 880, the rubber extractors are safe to use on all floors and contours to the debris and surface types. They also make the window of suction smaller, creating a more powerful airflow and a Roomba that picks up 50 percent more debris than any previous model.
To accommodate the increase in pick-up, the Roomba 880 also features a collection bin that is 60 percent larger than any other Roomba.
In addition to the advanced vacuum tech, the Roomba 880 also features a state-of-the-art XLife battery that doubles the lifetime of the battery found in current Roomba models.
“We really wanted this robot to be one you can turn on and forget about,” said Makeev. “While you are running around throughout your day, you never have to worry about it getting clogged or having the battery die.”
Additionally, all of the screws that hold the new Roomba together feature heads that can be engaged with a coin. So, you can replace the battery or any other piece of the robot, with the change you have in your pocket.
The Roomba 880 is available today and retails for $699.99.
