Samsung's Powerbot VR9000 enters the robot vacuum arena
Samsung's new Powerbot VR9000 robot vacuum, unveiled in Berlin, vows to have more oomph than other European models.
BERLIN -- Samsung has just announced that it's adding a robot vacuum to its European repertoire. According to the official press release, the new Powerbot VR9000 will have "superior suction power" that's as much as 60 times better at sucking up dust, dirt, and any other unwelcome floor debris than "conventional cleaners." This so-called "Digital Inverter" tech isn't the only feature that's supposed to set the Powerbot VR9000 apart, though.
It also has a wide brush bar that's designed to cover more ground in a single pass. Samsung left spinning side brushes out of its Powerbot design equation, too. These choices definitely go against robot vacuum staples like the £650 Roomba 880 ($700 in the US). The Roomba 880 is a highly rated robot vacuum, but I wonder how much more efficiently it would clean if its brushes weren't relegated to the center of the machine. Then again, its side brush came in handy during testing, pushing errant debris like rice and Cheerios into its path that would have otherwise been missed.
Samsung outfitted its Powerbot VR9000 with something called "CycloneForce." This tech creates a centrifugal force that separates particles into various chambers. Supposedly, that will keep the bot in good working order for longer -- fewer filter replacements and clogs here!
Its "FullView" system relies on a variety of sensors to avoid potential road blocks, and large "EasyPass" wheels help it maneuver over transitional spaces, like frames that separate a room with tile from a room with hardwood and so on. The wheels are 105mm (4.1 inches) in diameter and can lift the bot up by as much as 15mm (0.6 inches). A novel Point Cleaning feature lets you use the included remote control to manually direct the robot where to clean next.
With features like CycloneForce, FullView, and EasyPass -- which sound incredibly exciting but don't tell you very much in terms of actual specs -- it's hard to differentiate between a promising bot and clever marketing terminology. Still, we're curious about the Powerbot VR9000 and how it compares to the competition.