Josh Hendrickson
Today, Ecovacs unveiled its latest $800 cleaning robot. While it looks like an ordinary robot vacuum, it doubles as a mop and packs in a lot of intelligence. It can avoid slippers, cables, and other obstacles then let you know where the objects are so you can move them. And it can mop and vacuum at the same time.
The Deebot Ozmo T8 Aivi (long enough name, right?) packs in a multitude of sensors. The front of the robot sports a camera, while the top houses lasers. Using those sensors, it can map your home and spot objects in its way. The Deebot then shows you the objects it encountered in a virtual map of your home so you can move them.
The camera is just a sensor, though; you can open a live feed of the camera’s view while the robot cleans your home. You can create virtual boundaries, and the Deebot will recommend boundaries for you when it maps your home.
The Deebot houses a 240ml water tank, which Ecovacs says should be large enough for 100 minutes of mopping. With most robot mops (and mopping in general), you need to sweep up the area before mopping. But the Deebot Ozmo T8 can vacuum and mop simultaneously, which the company says is a first for robotic vacuums. The robot is also smart enough not to move onto your carpet while it’s mopping.
You can buy the Deebot Ozmo T8 Aivi right now at Ecovac’s site, and at retailers later this year.
