Is Roomba’s throne at risk? AGAiT Technology E-Cleaner EC01 There were many contenders who wanted to take iRobot’s throne of small cleaning robots. We wrote about Panasonic’s attempt to introduce floor scrubbing robots, but they aimed to a different part of the market. Nowadays, there is a growing number of rivals pretending on iRobot’s most popular vacuuming robot Roomba. In this article and a couple of our future articles we’re going to write about them in our “Is Roomba’s throne at risk?” mini-series. ASUS subsidiary AGAiT Technology is the latest to have a bash at realizing the dream of robots performing domestic tasks with the EC01 E-Cleaner robotic vacuum cleaner. As well as offering similar cleaning functionality to that of its rivals, the EC01 also benefits from a sanitizing UV lamp which disinfects as the unit vacuums. The E-Cleaner travels around a dirty room in up to five pre-programmed cleaning patterns at between 16.5 and 18.5cm per second and providing said room is of 4.8m x 3.2m proportions, it is claimed that it will complete its task in some 30 minutes.

The capacity of its dust bin is 0.3 liters. As the unit vacuums up the dust and dirt, an extra level of cleanliness is afforded by the onboard sanitizing UV lamp (which is claimed to last for 6000 hours of use). It also has a photo sensor which keeps EC01 from falling down the stairs. vax u91-ma-b bagless upright vacuum cleaner reviewsIf its wheels get stuck it stops automatically and makes warning beeping.sebo x4pet automatic vacuum cleaner The 14.4V Ni-MH rechargeable battery will recharge in three hours which will provide enough power for 90 minutes of cleaning. fuller tidy maid vacuum cleaner reviewWhen the unit detects that its charge is low, or when it has finished its chores, it will automatically return to the charging station.

It needs only three hours of quick battery charging to be fully charged. If it doesn’t finish its task, the EC01 resumes cleaning once its battery recharge is completed. One of the features that attract potential buyers on AGaiT’s side is the additional remote control used to control their vacuuming robot. The effective distance from which you can control the EC01 is 3m. To lessen the chance of misplacement, AGAiT has included a slot in the upper cover where you can store the remote control. It also has a built-in slot where you can add pleasant fragrances or fragrance for odors removal. According to Taiwan Economic News, the E-Cleaner will be made available shortly to households in China and Taiwan for a competitive price to recognizable Roomba. This entry was posted on Friday, Dec 25th, 2009 at 4:41PM and filed under Gadgets, Robotics.Around The HomeASUS hoping to clean up with robotic E-Cleaner4 picturesThe E-Cleaner features a sanitizing UV lamp which complements the cleaning power of the vacuumASUS subsidiary AGAiT Technology is the latest to have a bash at realizing the dream of robots performing domestic tasks with the EC01 E-Cleaner robotic vacuum cleaner.

As well as offering similar cleaning functionality to that of its rivals, the EC01 also benefits from a sanitizing UV lamp which disinfects as the unit vacuums.The E-Cleaner travels around a dirty room in up to five pre-programmed cleaning patterns at between 16.5 and 18.5 cm per second and providing said room is of 4.8m x 3.2m proportions, it is claimed that it will complete its task in some 30 minutes. As the unit vacuums up the dust and dirt, an extra level of cleanliness is afforded by the onboard sanitizing UV lamp (which is claimed to be good for 6000 hours of use). Should it come frighteningly near to the top of a flight of stairs, its dramatically named cliff sensor will help ensure that it won't come a cropper.The 14.4V Ni-MH rechargeable battery will recharge in three hours which will provide enough power for 90 minutes of cleaning. And to lessen the chance of misplacement, AGAiT has included a place in the upper cover for storage of the remote control.According to Taiwan Economic News, the E-Cleaner will be made available shortly to households in China and Taiwan for less than NT$5,000 (about US$154), cheaper than the recently announced Neato and the established Roomba.

The robotic vacuum cleaners is heating up with yet another Roomba-clone, this time from Asus. Asus, better known fits Eee netbook PCs, is set to introduce the ECleaner robot in China and Taiwan at the end of the month. The robot will be offered by Asus’s subsidiary AGAiT Technology, says The Taiwan Economic News. It is the second automated vacuum cleaner to debut this month. Last week, Neato Robotics, a Silicon Valley-based startup launched the Neato vacuum cleaner priced at $400. Since iRobot introduced the first Roomba automated vacuum cleaner in 2002, it has sold more than 3 million units and the gadget has become a hit among geek heads looking for a quick fix to a tiresome chore. But surprisingly, the Roomba didn’t spawn too many competitors–till now. Asus’ ECleaner is Roomba-like in its shape and form factor but it has a few nice upgrades. The ECleaner includes a 6000-hour UV light for disinfecting the floor, a slot for spreading fragrance and a remote control that fits neatly on top of the vacuum, says Robot Stock News.

Though details are scarce, from Asus’s video, the ECleaner seems to work more like the Roomba in its cleaning, though it has a few pre-programmed patterns. The Roomba uses a randomized algorithm to clean a room, which has led to complaints that it doesn’t always cover an area completely. The Neato has a laser mapping technology that creates an outline of the room and its objects so the robot can move in a systemic back and forth pattern to cover a cleaning surface. As with the Roomba and Neato, the ECleaner has a photo sensor to detect stairs and avoid falling down. The ECleaner also returns to its battery charge base automatically when it is done with its task or if the battery needs to be recharged. Asus’ innovation lies not in its ability to offer cutting-edge features but to launch products at prices that make it accessible to a much larger audience. The ECleaner is priced at around $150 (NT$5000), much cheaper than the Neato and competitive with the Roomba. /chat/viewtopic.php%3Ff%3D6%26t%3D16415 on this server.