Adventures with NEATO XV-11

By Wendy J. Miller

"My battery needs to be charged."

NEATO continues to get himself into compromising situations and today was no different.  When I got home in the evening, I was surprised to find my little buddy stuck between the wall and one of the legs of my "creeping the 'hood" full-size telescope!

He delighted me with a new message for this conundrum: "My bumper is stuck.  Please free it."  More than the bumper was stuck, let it be known... the sturdy telescope tripod had NEATO in a full leg lock: telescope - 1; NEATO - 0.

Of course, NEATO had spent the day as a captive, and his battery was run down. So I had to carry him back to his docking station. Seems to me that he likes getting carried around, even though he always ask to be down on the floor. 

Like most interactions today, I don't know if he's even listening, and, although NEATO has lots to say, only once has he said, "thank you."

So far, his messages have included:

"Please check my dirt bin an filter. Empty them as needed."
"Please put by dirt bin back."
"Thank you for cleaning my dirt bin and filter."
"Finished. I'm returning to my base station."
"Please dust me off so that I can see."
"I am unable to navigate. Please clear my path."

And... my favourite message of all, "Cleaning house."  Way to go, NEATO!  That's exactly why I got you.  Maybe one day I'll get the message, "Here's your martini" from some bot-ty else ;)

The End

MORE... Adventures with NEATO XV-11

By Wendy J. Miller

"Please put me down on the floor."


The other day when I got home, NEATO was AWOL -- the docking station was empty. I searched for him in the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom and the studio. 

He wasn't visible anywhere -- I was mystified. And he's supposed to return to the docking station when his battery gets low. I admit I was in a bit of a panic - what could have happened?  I promptly went into CSI mode, flashlight in hand...

Crawling on my hands and knees, I peered into every nook and cranny; in the process noting that NEATO was doing really great work!  Even though his jobs sucks, he was getting around and under all furniture and keeping my floors dust-free.

The final stop was the entertainment unit in the studio.  Aha!  There he was lurking in the shadows under the unit!  NEATO had latched onto a power bar cord and had no intention of letting go.  Either that or the power cord was enamored with my robot buddy - he's pretty darn cute, after all... Desperate to free him, I enlisted my former dust collector -- the SWIFFER, and was able to hook the underside of NEATO and I pulled him carefully toward me.

He is pretty heavy and was really hooked up tightly with his new power bar friend, but at last I was able to get to him.   His battery had depleted to the point where he couldn't have made it back to the docking station.  I picked him up and as I carried him down the hall, his message to me was not "thanks" or "I really appreciate your help" -- his read out said "Please put me down on the floor"!  I replied aloud, "Sure, you've got no juice and when I put you down how will you manage"?  NEATO responded, "My battery needs to be charged".  No kidding!

I placed NEATO at his docking station and once again emptied his dust bin -- but this time I washed it out and cleaned his filter with soap and hot water. In the morning, after everything was dry, I replaced the bin and filter; NEATO's message: "Replace my dirt bin". Hey.... who's the boss here?

To be continued...

Adventures With NEATO XV-11

By Wendy J. Miller

"Thank you for cleaning my dirt bin and filter."

NEATO XV-11 arrived in a shiny box with a carry handle and weighed in at 13 kg.  A big baby, yes, but included were a docking station, instruction booklet and a special magnetic strip to control what area of the house was to be cleaned. I eagerly studied the instruction book so that my robot would know that I paid attention to detail and cared enough to set everything up properly. 

First of all, I set HIS clock (the idea of a guy helping with the chores was appealing to me), and then I set HIS cleaning days and hours. He had a big backlog of dust to tackle, so I wanted him to get right at it as soon as he was fully charged!  It only takes two to three hours to fully charge NEATO, and when his battery gets low he makes a bee-line to the docking station to recharge.

I couldn't wait!  Monday. 7:00 a.m.!  I staked out the living room sofa waiting for him to back out of the docking station for the first time.  Right on time, with a whirring sound, NEATO was on the move.  I watched him scope out the living room, buzzing along, butting his sturdy body on the furniture and rearranging some floor decor items: NEATO was here!

It was great fun watching him work thoroughly throughout the living room, and then suddenly he veered off down the long hallway.  It was like watching your firstborn leave for kindergarten for the first time!  Off he went, unaware of the adventures in dust and debris that lay ahead.  I followed him at a slight distance for a bit - to see how he would do.  Then, I thought better of it, or I'd be late for work!  I would check in on things when I got home that evening.

And check in I did!  The kitchen throw rug's tassels were all askew; it was flipped over on the corners with its underlay exposed.  A book and stuffed animal in the back studio were turned on end and NEATO had encouraged a few chairs out of his path.  I checked his dustbin and was not surprised that it was half full, and its filter coated in dust.  I emptied the bin, cleaned the filter and gave NEATO a day off.

Two days later, he was back in action, powering his way around furniture with finesse.  He seemed to be doing so well - then I heard the loud noises of altercation...dashing down the hall, I found NEATO had a run-in with an extension cord, and had actually succeeded in unplugging a lamp!  NEATO: 1; extension cord: 0. Lesson learned - move all cords out of his path.

There is always something new with NEATO.  He seems to have made peace with the kitchen throw rug, but he still likes to ruffle its fringes.

To be continued...

Adventures with NEATO XV-11

By Wendy J. Miller

"House cleaning PAUSED"

I love technology - and although sometimes it baffles me, I appreciate the brilliance that goes into its development.

Robotics are a particular area of interest for me. I dream of the day when I will have a robot servant who (notice how I've already humanized it) brings me my slippers and a cocktail at the end of a hectic day. For years I've longed for one of the Star Trek food replicators - the magical gizmo that will instantaneously prepare any food or beverage you desire!

About eight or nine years ago I purchased a robotic lawnmower.  It had a very stylish shape and was bright yellow, but it required getting down on your hands and knees to carefully lay out a thin perimeter wire so that the robot would not go AWOL. As most of the area I wanted cut was grass layered over rock bed, it was almost impossible to set the work area.

Just as I was reaching my peak of frustration, I found out that the robot only wanted to communicate in Hebrew!  The mower had been manufactured in Israel and did not have an English language option.  Alas, it proved to be a huge OY VEY and I gave it to an auction house to sell.  I don't think anyone ever "bot" it...

For the past few years I have been intrigued by robotic vacuums.  Different makes and models appeared and became locally available.  I continued watching flyers, hoping that I would develop an actual NEED for this machine; not just a "WOW! That would be cool!" inkling.

Last month I couldn't wait any longer.  A new model, the  NEATO XV-11, was on the market - with better suction (the size of my dust bunnies required an engine akin to that used for an A320 Airbus), improved manoeuvrability, and with more clever design to tackle corners!  And online purchasing with free delivery would have it in my hands within five days.  My dust had been waiting for weeks - another five days would be no problem.

to be continued...