By Shannon Coe, CFILC’s Reuse & Finance Coordinator
Yesterday, as our country celebrated Independence Day with friends and family, I also got to enjoy a clean Independence Day with my husband and friends with the help of Wally. No, Wally is not a dog or a cat. He is cleaner than any dog or fury pet because Wally is a Robotic Vacuum Cleaner. Think of Rosie the Robot from the Jetsons, a cartoon I used to watch in grade school. I can’t believe the future has arrived for us to have a robot that cleans the floor. Of course, Wally looks nothing like Rosie but he has helped me gain more independence.
As a wheelchair user, I have difficulty vacuuming and sweeping while pushing my wheelchair at the same time. Since I always feel exhausted after trying to vacuum, I rarely do it and delegate the responsibility to my husband. But with our busy schedules, we don’t have the time to clean the dust bunnies underneath our bed or the dirt on the floor left by my wheelchair every day.
We programmed Wally to clean the floors everyday while we are away at work. Since then we have not seen any dirt or dust bunnies. Sometimes Wally gets stuck underneath the kitchen counter and we have to bring him back to his charging station, but once he is charged up, he goes back to work.
Before we purchased Wally, we did some research online and found that there were a few brands out there that sell robotic vacuum cleaners. Of course, none of them are cheap, but a good vacuum cleaner is never cheap. After much research, we went to Fry’s Electronics store and bought the Neato Robotics. After watching some YouTube videos comparing the different brands out in the market, we decided that the Neato was much more methodical in how it cleans so it does not bump into the furniture as often. Basically, the Neato is programmed to scan the room and start vacuuming without me having to hold or control it. When the dirt bin is full, it is also easy for me to empty it. Wally has definitely made my life less stressful.
Other brands of Robotic Vacuum Cleaners include:
Samsung’s Navibot and the Roomba iRobot.
To get an idea what Robotic Vacuum Cleaners can do, you can watch it on You Tube.
Do you consider Robots to be a friend or foe in the world of Assistive Technology?
I have the Roomba, more by opportunity than by choice. Actually, I don’t think the bumping is much of a problem since it goes very slow and has gentle bumpers. As for your question at the end, I think robot vacuum cleaners are the next revolution after the old style vacuum cleaners. I have no doubt they are a good thing just like it was a good thing to get rid of your old broom.
Wow, I am excited to have one.
Great article! I am sure this is going to help a lot of people.
Lou Lentine
I have bought the Neato XV-21 as I also have physical problems handling a vacuum cleaner. But because we also have 2 dogs I hesitated if we could get the carpet clean enough. After reading the positive reviews we decided to give it a chance.
Conclusion? Great, wonderfull, why didnt we do this sooner 🙂
Webmaster of Neato XV-21
Great article. With my dogs running in and out all day I could not be without my robot. He never complains or answers back, which is a great plus 🙂
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