Neato Robotics XV-11 Robotic Vacuum, LG Roboking take aim at iRobot's Roomba Empire

For the first time, iRobot's dominant Roomba vacuuming robot franchise may be under serious threat. Two new competitors have announced this week that they will start shipping next year, and promise to fix some of the shortcomings with the Roomba.

First up is the Neato Robotics XV-11 (pictured), from a Silicon Valley startup I've never heard of before. This exciting new contender looks strikingly similar to patent filings iRobot made for a square-front Roomba first reported by Robot Stock News, which as of yet it has not produced. Neato promises in its Dec. 16 press release announcing the XV-11 and in videos at the company's slick web site, NeatoRobotics.com, that its robotic vacuum is the most powerful on the market, uses lasers to navigate in straight lines instead of Roomba's random algorithms, and navigates around objects instead of hitting them. All the better - Neato's square front allows it to get into corners, which Roomba can't with its round shape. (Indeed, iRobot's own patent filing said that this would be the advantage of a square-front vac!)
At any rate, this could set off an interesting intellectual property fight, and I'm sure iRobot will be acquiring a Neato robotic vacuum ASAP to see if there is anything that they can sue over. iRobot has a number of patents on its Roomba and Scooba products, and has been aggressive in filing lawsuits in the past.
The XV-11 also claims to clean faster than Roomba because it maps the floor and goes in straight lines, which could be a big plus, and it has a self-charging dock, virtual wall technology and scheduling ability, just like a Roomba.
But it does appear to have a pretty big drawback -- it carries a list price of $399 -- about what a very high end Roomba costs. But Roombas can be had for as cheap as $129, and even the latest generation model starts at $212, so you'd be hard pressed to justify the extra price just for corner cleaning. The real test in my mind will come when people actually start using it. Does it get tangled in cords? Does it do well on carpets? Is the dirt bin bigger or smaller than Roomba? How about reliability? Etc. Neato comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, so I'll probably take it for a spin once they are available in February. Why not? Also curious is that the company doesn't have any pictures of the underside of the robot. Are there counter-rotating brushes like the Roomba? Would be interesting to see, but maybe they don't want to tip iRobot off to their design just yet, and will show more leg at CES 2010? Judging by the spare parts, there is a $39 replacement brush, so it isn't just a straight vacuum. A 2-pack of replacement batteries is also just $59, much cheaper than the $89 Roomba wants for just one replacement battery on the 500 Series.
The company's FAQ says that retailers including high-end retailer Hammacher Schlemmer and Amazon.com will start taking orders for the XV-11 in January. (Getting Hammacher on board is a huge coup; they have been a long-term iRobot partner).

The upgraded RoboKing, meanwhile, may be a bit less exciting -- it uses a conventional Roomba-style design, and will likely be priced like previous Roboking models -- much, much higher than Roomba. At any rate, the new Roboking is said to be 30% shorter and 30% faster and significantly quieter than its predecessor while sporting a second camera. Color me unimpressed. How does it CLEAN? For some reason (patents?), the Korean robot vacs have never made it to the United States. VIdeo with goofy music is available here.

iRobot, meanwhile, appears likely to retaliate mainly with a tweaked version of the Roomba 500 Series featuring an upgraded vacuum system and bin that it is dubbing "Aero Vac" technology. The new Roomba 536 is the first iteration.

Let the robot wars begin! And may the best robot win.

(thanks, byronangel)

Tags: Neato, Neato Robotics, XV-11, Roomba, robotic vacuums, Roboking, iRobot, robot, vacuum,