With today's robot vacuums, that fantasy sounds less and less far fetched. Current robotic vacuums are packed with loads of sensors, electronic eyes -- even lasers -- and they have enhanced computing and cleaning power to match. That will save you some work. Their prices have ballooned, too. Some robotic vacuum models will even set you back a staggering four figures. Spending that much is extravagant, but it does net you next-level vacuum cleaning features. Those cleaning features include multiple room and floor plan mapping, dustbins that empty themselves, turbo mode, plus elegantly designed hardware. Smart Home show introduces for you. Our method for evaluating robot vacuums is straightforward, yet grueling. There are two types of tests we run. The first trial is to figure out how well a robot covers the floor while cleaning. We built an industry-standard testing room, as specified by the International Electrotechnical Commission, just for this purpose. The IEC is an international standards body responsible for managing robot vacuum testing procedures, among other things, for vacuum manufacturers.

The best if you’re loaded: iRobot Roomba S9 Plus

If someone were to give you a blank check and told you to buy a robotic vacuum, this is the bot to get. The iRobot Roomba S9 Plus costs a whopping $1,399. For that staggeringly steep sticker price though, this bot delivers superb dirt removal cleaning power.

On hardwood flooring it picked up an average of 93% of our test sand, the highest amount in our test group. The Roomba struggled to work a bit cleaning sand from low-pile carpeting and area rugs, earning a low average dust and sand pickup of 28%.

That said, the vacuum removed an average 71% of sand from our midpile carpet. Again, this is the best result that we saw on this specific test. It also cleaned up more pet hair and allergens than any vacuum in this test group, and the bot navigates and maps multiple rooms and floors. iRobot has also updated its app to let you designate "keep out zones" to designate areas you want the S9 Plus to avoid when cleaning.

The robot zipped through our test room in a short average time of 25 minutes, too. You can link the S9 Plus to the Roomba app and your home WiFi as well. Best of all is the Roomba S9 Plus' CleanBase docking station. It both charges the robot's battery and empties its dustbin automatically, making cleaning even easier and keeping you from worrying about battery life. Now that's convenient.

The best midrange robot vacuum: Neato Botvac D7 Connected

For half the price of the Roomba S9 Plus, the $647 Neato's Botvac D7 Connected vacuums up dirt, dust and messes almost as well. On average this robotic cleaner picked up a greater amount of sand (36%) across low-pile carpet and rugs than the Roomba did.

It narrowly beat the S9 Plus for cleaning power on hardwood bare floors, too, collecting an average of 95% of the sand we put down. The vac cleaned dirt, dust and sand from midpile rugs less effectively though, notching a pickup average of 47 percent while cleaning.

While it can't match the Roomba's prowess at removing pet hair or empty its own dust bin, this cleaning robot navigates more efficiently, yet covers more ground, thanks to built-in lidar laser navigation mapping. You can also control the cleaning robot using the Neato app as a remote control, as well as link it to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The app allows you to designate areas of your home as off-limits to cleaning, too.

The best value: Eufy Robovac 11S Max

Here's a cleaning machine that proves you don't need to blow your budget to purchase a solid robot vacuum cleaner. Even though the Robovac 11S Max costs just $219, it cleans floors effectively. That's especially the case when cleaning hardwood bare floors.

It managed to remove an average of 71% of our test sand from this type of surface. The bot didn't work as well cleaning carpets, earning sand pickup averages of 21 and 27% on low pile and midpile, respectively.

And due to this vacuum's basic navigation system, it took well over an hour to negotiate our test room. As far as time goes, that's a lot. Still, the Eufy used its runtime wisely. The vacuum covered the space well, cleaning up while leaving almost no spots untouched. The Eufy is also self-charging, so again, no need to worry about battery life or factor that into overall cleaning time.  

Source: CNET