Neato Robotics

On December 19 Neato Robotics of silicon Valley in California announced the XV-11 household vacuuming robot.

The XV-11 will be priced at $399 and will be for sale this coming February.  Using a laser mapping system the robot can avoid obstacles and dead spots.

The robot also automatically returns to the charging station when the battery is low.  The robot is round on one end and square on the other.  This allows for better cleaning of corners and a large (660 cc ) dust bin.  The XV-11 is definitely aimed at the iRobot Roomba market.

Who doesn’t like robots with lasers?

See the official press release here.

Click through for an interview from PC Magazine of Neato Robotics CEO Max Safai.

Link via (IEEE Spectrum)