iRobot Unveils Advanced 2-in-1 Roomba with Self-Cleaning Mop and Matter Support

iRobot's new 2-in-1 Roomba comes with a self-cleaning mop and support for Matter

The Roomba Combo 10 Max offers the brand's most hands-off cleaning experience yet iRobot just unveiled its new $1,399 Roomba Combo 10 Max -- the first Rooma to offer truly hands-off vacuuming and mopping. Available to buy from August, the Combo 10 Max features and updated AutoWash Dock which now cleans the mop, in addition to its usual emptying and tank-filling functions. This eliminates my hangup with Roomba's previous flagship, the J9+ Combo, which required you to manually remove and clean the mop pad after each run. Like that model, it has a unique retractable mop pad to avoid wetting carpets, a table atop the dock, and front camera for AI obstacle avoidance. However, in addition to the updated dock for one full week of set-and-forget cleaning you also get improved Dirt Detection and Matter to control it from smart home platforms. Roomba's deceptively low-profile dock is accessed from a pull door where you can swap out tanks from the side. This leaves a useful table on top for storage or displaying decor while packing plenty of functionality under the hood. Its 3-part system includes a 3-liter clean water tank to fill the mop, a 2.5-liter dirty water tank to drain it, and a bin bag that holds 60 days of debris. Roomba's Combo 10 Max rolls onto this base to charge, empty, and refill while the dock washes and dries its mop to prevent grime buildup or odors. The entire setup is built with anti-microbial materials to prevent bacteria and odor build-up. Self-cleaning robot mop docks are nothing new, which is a point I harped on when I reviewed the J9+ Combo last year. Roborock's hybrid models immediately come to mind as even the affordable Q Revo can vacuum, mop, and clean itself for a week. At CES, some manufacturers like SwitchBot even showed off docks that not only clean and dry the mop pad but also connect to your plumbing system for a truly set-and-forget automated floor cleaning solution. iRobot will add Matter support to the Roomba 10 Max in Q4 of 2024 through a software update. This universal protocol will allow the bot to work with any smart home platform that supports Matter such as Apple Home or Samsung SmartThings. Roomba has supported Alexa and Google smart home platforms over the past decade so it'll be a welcome change to integrate a robot vacuums into more complex routines from other places. Although the suction performance and camera resolution remain unchanged, the Combo 10 Max has several refinements. The onboard camera now spots dirt for the Enhanced Dirt Detect feature. This better identifies dirty areas and takes multiple passes to clean them. The Combo10 Max also brings a new mop-only cleaning mode, in addition to the options to vacuum, and vacuum and mop.

iRobot's New Roomba Robot Can Wash Its Own Mop

iRobot's first Matter-compatible product is here. The Roomba Combo 10 Max Robot + AutoWash Dock includes its robot floor cleaner and a docking station that automatically washes the mop pad while self-cleaning and maintaining itself. The 2-in-1 setup works on various surfaces, including carpets and hard floors. It lets you deep-scrub even the dirtiest areas and integrates with your iOS or Android-powered home. iRobot's Barry Schliesmann called it "our most powerful, independent, and smartest robot yet" in a press release, highlighting perks like dual multi-surface brushes and a mop that automatically retracts when the carpet is detected to keep it dry. For those harsh coffee and tea stains, a feature dubbed SmartScrub applies consistent pressure and twice the scrubbing while mopping back and forth. The device employs a comprehensive cleaning system comprised of four stages. Those include a special brush for hard-to-reach corners, flexible dual rubber brushes designed to adjust to different floor types and avoid pet hair tangles, power-lifting suction, and deep-clean mopping. For best results on hard floors, the robot vacuums and mops simultaneously. Building on iRobot's foundation of smart home vacuum cleaners, floor moppers, and other autonomous appliances, this robot integrates with your smart home setup via the Matter protocol. It's the first Matter-enabled product by iRobot. Matter support enables compatibility with the Apple Home app, making this the first iRobot product to integrate with Apple's ecosystem. Actually, iRobot contributed to the definition and implementation of the robot vacuum cleaner (RVC) standard for Matter! You can manage the smart cleaner in the Home app or the official iRobot Home app. The device integrates with the Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant voice assistants for hands-free operation -- you can tell it which room to clean and where using just your voice. More complex commands work, too, like asking the robot to clean its mop pad after doing your bathroom. Close The Roomba Combo 10 Max Robot + AutoWash Dock runs the latest iRobot operating system, which uses machine learning for AI features like PrecisionVision Navigation, advanced object and obstacle avoidance (stairs, cords, socks, shoes, etc.), carpet detection (to adjust suction power), furniture detection, room mapping, and more via its onboard sensors. The biggest problem with smart cleaners is the dirtiest areas. iRobot's new Enhanced Dirt Detect Technology helps with that by using cameras to recognize piles of debris, pet fur, and large concentrations of dirt needing multiple passes up to 8x more frequently. It can even predict when it might be time to clean a specific room or wash the mop pad. That feature, called Dirt Detective, uses past cleaning information for intelligence. The floor cleaner parks itself automatically into the AutoWash Dock, which iRobot says is built with "premium antimicrobial materials." The dock then cleans and dries the mopping pad while recharging and refilling the robot before ejecting debris into an enclosed bag. This process happens after every pad wash to prevent dirt build-up, which can throw the robot off, but you can also force a manual self-clean. You don't have to think about it, as the iRobot Home app will notify you when deep cleaning or standard maintenance is required. The dock has plenty of space to collect dirt for up to 60 days. It holds a week's worth of water used to wash the mop pad and even automatically refills the mopping solution tank. Such devices can be high maintenance, but the Roomba Combo 10 Max Robot + AutoWash Dock ticks all the right boxes. The less time you spend cleaning the whole thing, the better. Like with other iRobot products, the Roomba Combo 10 Max Robot + AutoWash Dock encrypts data like room topography. The company promises that customer data will only be used to improve the experience and product performance. You can adjust privacy-related settings in the app. "iRobot does not, and will not, sell customer data," the company promises. You can order the Roomba Combo 10 Max Robot + AutoWash Dock in the United States and Canada on the iRobot website, with pricing starting at $1399. Retail availability at select sellers starts in August. Customers in Europe can pre-order starting today. Availability will expand to other countries in the coming months. Source: iRobot