Your floors will be vacuumed and washed automatically by the premium Combo j7+.
There are many robots on the market that claim to be able to vacuum and mop your floors, but never to the satisfaction of anyone. Some require you to fiddle with the system in order to add the mop in the middle, while others will drag the dirty pad across your spotless carpets and rugs. iRobot has devoted a lot of engineering resources to attempting to address this issue, and the company claims that the new Combo j7+ is the answer. It is referred to as the “first authentic 2-in-1 vacuuming and mopping robot ever produced,” according to co-founder and CEO Colin Angle.
The j7+ features a normal vacuum body up top so that adjustments can be made throughout a mission rather than having to be made by the user. But when it’s done, a set of recessed arms lowers a mop pad placed in the top of the chassis to the ground. Then, if and when it must traverse carpet, it will push the pad back away after dragging it along your hard flooring. All that is required of the user is a bag change and a water refill, which could take up to 60 days.
The goal, according to Angle and Praj Dhamorikar, product manager at iRobot, was to make sure that the mop never, ever touched any of your sensitive surfaces. And that without any micromanagement, consumers may anticipate the device performing the functions implied by its description. Given that the device shares a footprint with the standard (poop-detecting) j7, it took a lot of engineering skill to fit all of the sophisticated new equipment inside of the device’s body.
iRobot intended to showcase the strength of its brand-new, iRobot OS 5.0, its most advanced operating system, at the same time. Improved phone and home assistant integration, the option to mark more clean zones for special care, and improved hazard avoidance are all part of this. Examples of this include Siri and Alexa. You may even make last-minute changes to mission plans, like kicking your Roomba out of the area where you’re about to make a Zoom call. Additionally, iRobot wanted to reaffirm its commitment to safeguarding user data, its promise never to sell it to third parties, and the fact that it has obtained a TÜV SÜD Cyber Security certification for its data hygiene.
Pre-orders for the $1,099 Roomba Combo j7+ are being accepted right now, and shipping should start on October 4th. In the UK, it will cost £999, but you can alternatively buy a version without the Clean Base for £799. It will be available in other countries during the rest of Q4, 2022.
