Roomba Aero Vac, iRobot's latest upgrade, includes new filter and vacuum design

iRobot has quietly debuted new "Aero Vac" cleaning technology that features a redesigned vacuum, filter and debris bin via the Home Shopping Network under the name Roomba 536. The new Aero Vac bin puts the vacuum directly above the Roomba's counter-rotating brushes, and puts the filter in the back of the debris bin, creating a single, larger chamber for dust and debris, versus the older design, which featured separate chambers for dust and large debris. The new vacuum is also believed to be more powerful.
This is the most significant upgrade of the Roomba since the debut of the Roomba 500 Series two years ago. According to the video at HSN (link available via our Roomba buyer's guide) this upgrade will be rolled out to other Roomba models starting in January.

iRobot has made a number of other changes in the latest design, some of which are actually downgrades. The new model lacks a carrying handle, and is not compatible with the Lighthouse virtual wall technology (it uses the older IR technology), both of which appear to be cost-cutting moves.

There also is a new, smaller self-charging home base, which presumably also is cheaper to produce but conveniently takes up less space.

None of these features or accessories are yet available direct from iRobot's web site, which does not mention the new technology anywhere I could find.

-Thorn

Tags: iRobot, robot