Spy Finds is a daily series that unveils the coolest, under-the-radar products that you haven’t heard of until now. Each product is curated by our editors who want to help you discover cool finds you didn’t know you needed.
One day the machines will become sentient. They will crush and vanquish humanity and rule the planet.
Until then, however, we should put the truly intelligent machines to good use. And you will be hard-pressed to find a machine more intelligent or useful than the iRobot Roomba S9+ Robot Vacuum. It will learn your home’s layout, clean it exceptionally well, and even empty itself. Thankfully, the only thing it will conquer and destroy is dirt.
Yes, we did say it will empty itself. The Roomba S9+ from iRobot has a sensor that will detect when the vacuum bin is full, and it will return to its base and unload all the dirt, dust, food bits, pet hair and whatnot into an allergen-lock dirt disposal bag. Each bag will hold about 30 full loads from the Roomba S9+. Once empty, it returns to the cleaning fray — automatically.
Even better, the new self-emptying function doesn’t come at the expense of any of the other features that have made DJ Roomba the best robot vacuum on the market. The Imprint Smart Mapping software allows it to identify and map an astonishing 230,400 data points every millisecond. It scans ahead of its path 25 times per second to identify obstacles. You can also teach it Keep Out zones to avoid — closets, rec rooms with tiny toy or puzzle pieces, anywhere you want it to skip.
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After a couple of runs, the Roomba S9+ knows your house as well you do. And now the really fun part — the iRobot HOME app allows you to dispatch the Roomba S9+ to clean any room, or any two rooms, or the whole house… by voice! The app is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. A simple “Roomba, go clean the kitchen!” sends the smart vacuum into action (unlike insolent teenagers, who likely made the mess in the first place).
We haven’t discussed the actual thing the Roomba S9+ does best — the actual cleaning. This model’s dual multi-surface rubber brushes are 30% wider compared to the Roomba 600 series, staying in constant contact with hard surfaces and carpets and sucking up both small and large debris.
The Roomba S9+ works corners and baseboards, too. This smart vacuum deploys PerfectEdge® Technology with advanced sensors, while the specially designed corner brush with five arms grabs dirt and debris from deep in corners and along walls, directing it into the robot’s path to be vacuumed up. The corner brush arms stick out at a 26-degree angle, digging down hard into corners and tight edges to pull out debris that no other vacuum, robotic or manual, would have a hope in heck of getting. You could do it yourself — on your knees, with a brush and a dustpan. Fun, right? Nah, let the Roomba S9+ do it for you.
The Roomba S9+ works equally well on hard surfaces and carpets by automatically increasing the suction when it moves from the hard to the soft. It has 40 times the sucking power of the 600 Series, and the filter built into the base traps 99% of mold and pollen allergens. No machine learns and listens and works nearly as well as the iRobot Roomba S9+ Robot Vacuum when it comes to cleaning your house. Of course, all those advanced features come with a higher price tag than your average vacuum. However, if a $1,000 high-tech vacuum is in your cleaning budget, you can’t do better than the smartest of smart vacuums.