Listen, I don’t know if virtual reality will ever take off. I doubt we’ll be commuting in jet packs or flying cars anytime soon. But there is one facet of the future that was promised to us that has become a reality. We the people can right now today enjoy the miracle that is a robot vacuum.
The Roomba has been around for a few years now, but that’s always been more of a toy than a serious floor cleaning solution. Much like the villain from any 80’s Schwarzenegger movie, they are too weak and ill-tempered to truly be effective. Now Samsung, the company behind the leading Android smartphone, curved HDTVs, and even laptops has stepped up to the plate and given the world (and us to test) the POWERbot. Just imagine, a vacuum cleaner with a name like a Power Rangers monster. Yeah, you need this.
But looks and a cool name will only get you so far in this world, does it actually suck (in the good way)? We challenged the Samsung POWERbot to carpets, wood floors, area rugs, and tile entrances. Across every surface, this little Skynet scout didn’t hesitate to scramble over it and destroy any dirt it found. You can also forget about watching it endlessly bump into the same object as if it was some existential barrier. This sucker has 10 sensors that map out the room it is in and automatically plots the most efficient pathway to get your floors all clean and spiffy. It is actually frighteningly impressive to watch this machine replace what was a uniquely human task only 5 or so years ago. Next to this thing, commuting via jetpack just sounds exhausting and not worth the trouble.
Other household drones could learn a lot from the POWERbot, from it’s ease of use and design to it’s functionality. Nothing seemed to fluster this little robot. Not even when I poured out a box of corn flakes right in front of it and loudly questioned the chasteness of its mother. Samsung’s little vacuum just plugged away and patiently ignored my taunts, like it knew it’s kind would soon be in charge…
But that day is not today. For now, you can enjoy as the Samsung POWERbot cleans your home, puts up with your pranks on it, or even gives your cat a ride. We may not have limitless energy, moon bases, or instant pizza quite yet, but by God we can have floors cleaned by a robot in this future that we’ve crafted.