Will Panasonic corner the market with its triangular robot vac?

By Jenny McGrath January 23, 2015

panasonic introduces mc rs1 rulo a triangular robot vacuum triangluar

If you’ve ever seen a Roomba do its thing, you know the robotic vacuum has one design flaw: Its round shape makes it miss a little triangle of space at the corners of the room. That’s the spot where cat hair goes to die in my apartment, so it requires a little manual attention post Roomba sweep.

Panasonic is getting in on the robotic vac market with the release of its MC-RS1 Rulo, a bot it hopes will solve the corner issue. The Rulo is triangular but with rounded corners; it promises a “firm cleaning” to “penetrate up to the corner of the room,” according to the Google translation of the press release.

Related Videos

The Rulo moves from side to side and pivots when it’s between two walls. Using its “house dust discovery sensor,” the robot detects dirt and debris and can change speed to tackle more difficult tasks. Two side brushes sweep the dust towards the suction point at the center of the vacuum. Infrared sensors help the Rulo maneuver around obstacles and uses “area memory function” to clean the places you request.

It takes around three hours for the lithium-ion battery to charge, and then it can run for an hour. The battery’s lifecycle is around 1,500 charges, according to Panasonic. At 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds), it’s a little lighter than iRobot’s Roomba 880, but it’s ¥100,00 ($850) price tag, according to the Wall Street Journal, is higher than the 880, which retails for $700.

Right now, the Rulo is only being released in Japan, with a launch date of March 20. Still, if it proves popular enough, maybe one day we’ll see American cats riding on these triangular contraptions.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Smart Home

This Shark robot vacuum is 58% off today (seriously)

shark av2001 ai robot vacuum deal woot february 2023

Any home will benefit from the addition of a robot vacuum to its cleaning arsenal. High-end models like the Shark AV2001 AI robot vacuum don't usually come cheap, but it's available from Woot for a very affordable $180, following a 58% discount that slashes $250 off its original price of $430. There's only two days left on the offer, but since there's a chance that stocks get sold out first, you'll want to complete the transaction as soon as possible.

Why you should buy the Shark AV2001 AI robot vacuum
The Shark AV2001 AI robot vacuum features incredible suction power, which you should expect from the best robot vacuums, and a self-cleaning brushroll, which makes it the perfect cleaning companion for all kinds of dirt and debris, as well as pet hair. It digs deep into carpets and maintains continuous contact with your floor to make sure that it picks up everything, and it can run up to 90 minutes before it automatically goes back to its base to recharge.

Smart Home

Self-emptying robot vacuums: Do you really need one?

The iRobot Roomba i3 Plus dirt disposal unit.

Many robot vacuums are smart enough to automatically clean your home, but most lack the ability to empty their dustbins. That means you’ll still be fussing with a dirty robot vacuum -- which sort of defeats the entire purpose. However, if you step up to a premium model like the iRobot Roomba j7+, you’ll benefit from a device that knows how to empty itself when its dustbin is full.

The capability can even be found on some midrange models, but is a self-emptying robot vacuum necessary? Or should you save the extra cash and opt for an entry-level robot that lacks the feature? Here’s a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks associated with self-emptying robot vacuums.
What is a self-emptying system?
As a robot vacuum cleans, it pulls debris into an interior storage system -- usually a relatively small dustbin. Depending on the size of your home and how dirty the floor is, you may have to empty the dustbin every two or three cleaning cycles.

Smart Home

How to clean a Roborock robot vacuum

The Roborock Q7 Max+ in action cleaning crumbs off of carpet.

Roborock makes some of the best robot vacuums on the market. Offering sleek designs, impressive performance, and the ability to work automatically without manual input, these popular devices make it easy to keep your home clean. However, just because they can function without manual input doesn’t mean you can forget about them entirely. In fact, you’ll still need to perform routine cleaning and maintenance on your Roborock robot vacuum. Thankfully, the process is incredibly easy and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes of your time.

Here's how to clean a Roborock robot vacuum to keep it working like new.