Roombas have been around for a couple of years. When you purchased one, it was probably your favorite toy for a while, even though it’s technically just a glorified vacuum cleaner. And that’s ok, because it’s part of what makes the technological breakthroughs of our age so distinctive – the fun you can have with them. Trying to cash in on the action, LG to present augmented reality smart vacuum at CES.
Augmented reality for a vacuum cleaner?
Augmented reality might not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a vacuum cleaner, but with the way robot vacuum technology has been progressing, it’s no wonder.
HOM-BOT Turbo+ is LG’s answer to the Roomba, and in order to try to take over the market, the company had to impress, as Roomba has been around for a while.
Meet HOM-BOT Turbo+’s augmented reality system, which is meant to do just that – impress.
The Home-Joy, as the augmented reality feature is called, works, of course, via an app installed on your mobile device.
The first feature made public so far is the ability to let HOM-BOT Turbo+ know that it is supposed to pay extra attention to an area. You do this by activating the app, looking through your camera at the room, and tapping the area where you want the vacuum to do a better job.
The second feature announced before CES 2016 is the ability to look through the robot’s camera while it’s working, seeing the room from its point of view. This will be helpful for more than cinematic purposes, as you’ll be able to control the robot remotely via the app.
Roomba no longer in the house?
Trying to up the Roomba’s performance, HOM-BOT Turbo+ comes with a number of extra features, like a small security option included in the app, called Home-Guard, which allows the robot to announce you if it detects unexpected movements in the house.
Other features are its Triple Eye camera system, allowing it to look up for better location tracking, its dual-core processor and long-lasting Smart Inverter Motor.
The company also talked about the Smart Inverter Motor for a bit, claiming that it’s 76% smaller, 65% lighter and 24% more efficient than those of other robot vacuums on the market.
We’ll just have to wait for January to come in order to learn more about the HOM-BOT Turbo+, as LG is going to make a presentation during next year’s CES, in Las Vegas.
Image source: Wikimedia
