Hey, dear followers of Robotobzor! We have prepared a system for evaluating robot vacuum cleaners, which we reviewed and passed tests on special stands. So now it`s possible to evaluate a robot and compare it with competitors more accurately and objectively.
Now, there is a 100-point system for evaluating robot vacuum cleaners according to various criteria. You can study by what parameters robots are evaluated and how important in our opinion one or another parameter is. All of them are listed in the table, but keep in mind: we are always working on the assessment algorithm improving. We might add new parameters at any time and adjust their meaning. So, the final score can change over time. Also, manufacturers can add new functionality to their robot vacuum cleaners with software updates, we will track the changes and consider it when assessing them.
We wanna know your opinion about the grading system. We value each opinion and if in fact some important parameter was missed, then will add it to the table.
The overall rating of robot vacuum cleaners that passed the test is posted on a separate page: https://robotobzor.com/ratings/general-rating-of-robot-vacuum-cleaners.html. Have a look.
So, here are the assessment criteria we look at and how we calculate their importance:
| Assessment criteria | Score |
| Navigation | No navigation 0 SLAM gyroscope +3 SLAM gyroscope + static optical sensor (camera / lidar) +7 SLAM dynamic optical sensor (rotating lidar) +10 |
| Height of the robot | > 90 mm (3.5 inches) 0 71-90 mm (2.7-3.5 inches) +1 41-70 mm (1.6-2.7 inches) +2 ≤ 40 mm (≤1.5 inches) + 3 |
| Production quality | Budget 0 Medium +1 High +2 |
| Central brush | None 0 Yes (non-separable) +1 Yes (separable) +2 |
| Side brushes | One 0 Two +1 |
| Dustbin capacity | ≤ 500 ml (≤17 oz) 0 >500 ml (>17 oz) +1 Self-cleaning base + 5 |
| Wet cleaning mode | None 0 Yes (floor polisher)+1 Yes (full)+2 |
| Water tank capacity | ≤200 ml (≤6.7 oz) 0 >200 ml (>6.7 oz) +1 |
| Battery life | ≤90 min 0 91-120 min +1 >120 min +2 |
| Continuing cleaning after recharging | No 0 Yes +2 |
| Suction power control | No 0 Yes +2 |
| Water level control | No 0 Yes (mechanical) +1 Yes (electronic) +3 |
| Objects recognition | No 0 The robot detects some of the objects +1 The robot detects and passes around the objects +3 The robot recognizes objects (artificial intelligence)+5 |
| Replaceable center brush | No 0 Yes +1 |
| Control | Buttons on the body 0 Remote controller +1 Smartphone +2 Remote controller and Smartphone+3 |
| Spare consumables included | No 0 Partial set +1 Full set +2 |
| Mapping | No 0 Yes (only in reports) +1 Yes (in real time) +2 |
| Saving the map in memory | No 0 Yes (one) +2 Yes (multiple maps support) +3 |
| Rooms recognition | No 0 Yes (cannot be edited) +1 Yes (can be edited) +2 |
| Restricted areas and virtual in the application | No 0 Yes +2 |
| Separate no-go areas for wet cleaning (no-mop) | No 0 Yes +1 |
| Magnetic tape included | No 0 Yes +1 |
| Same time wet and dry cleaning | No 0 Yes (sweeping)+1 Yes (suction)+2 |
| Mobile app | No 0 Yes +2 |
| Setting up a cleaning schedule | Time / day of the week 0 Time / day of week / room +1 Time / day of the week / room / cleaning mode +2 Time / day of the week / room / cleaning mode + setting the individual power and degree of wetting of the napkin for each room +3 |
| Voice notification in several languages | No 0 Yes +2 |
| Alexa / Google Home Support | No 0 Yes +2 |
| Voice control support | No 0 Yes +2 |
| Manual control | No 0 Yes +2 |
| Climbing height | ≥15 mm (≥0.5 inches) +1 ≥20 mm (≥0.7 inches) +2 |
| Automatic power increase on carpets | No 0 Yes +2 |
| Depth of cleaning of slots [1] | Failed – 0 2 mm (0.07 inches) +1 4 mm (0.15 inches) +2 6 mm (0.23 inches) +3 ≥8 mm (≥0.31 inches) +4 |
| Dry cleaning quality on laminate [2] | There is a significant amount of dust left 0 Dust is left along the walls and in the corners +1 Dust is only left in the corners +2 No dust left +3 |
| Carpet cleaning quality [3] | There is a significant amount of dust left 0 Some dust left +1 There is no dust left on the carpet +3 |
| The quality of wiping off dirt on the laminate [4] | Dust is left 0 A small amount of dirt / streaks remains +2 There is no dirt left on the stand +3 |
| Navigation in difficult conditions [5] | Task is completed +3 Didn’t sweep around the box and around the chair legs, but coped with the task +2 Stuck on the dryer, but after that went through the entire available area and returned to the base +1 Stuck on dryer but swept around chair legs / box +1 Stuck on the dryer, cleaning algorithm is unpredictable, did not return to base 0 |
| Navigation within the home [6] | Went through all the available area and returned to the base +2 Coped with the task, but left a small uncleaned area +1 Did not cope with the task (did not find the base, there were large uncleared zones) 0 |
| Passage of dark surfaces [7] | No 0 Yes +2 |
| Y-mode in wet cleaning mode | No 0 Yes +1 |
| Trust to the brand | No 0 The brand is well-known (has a history), the robot left a positive impression after the review +2 The brand is on our reliable bands list +5 |
| Additional points | We can add up to 10 points to the robot if there are unaccounted engineering solutions / capabilities that are unique within the brand. For example, Hobot mobile floor cleaning robots, 5G support, or iRobot scrapers. We can also remove points for critical flaws. |
- As already mentioned, the robot vacuum cleaner can get 100 points in total, not counting additional points.
- 1-7. Measurements are made on special stands.
- We trust the listed manufacturers (the list may be updated over time): iRobot, Roborock, Mijia, Viomi, Ecovacs, Hobot.
