What Was The First Robot Vacuum

Robot vacuum cleaners are also referred to as “robovac”.

Essentially the vacuum cleaner has a certain level of autonomy from the user and ultimately is programmed to clean independently.

All robovacs use vacuums to clean up, and some have additional accessories such as spinning brushes, mopping capabilities, and UV sterilization.

Some of them are even equipped with intercom systems and cameras, essentially though all robovacs are glorified vacuum cleaners.

So what was the first vacuum cleaner?

The first-ever robovac appeared in 1996. It was made by a Swedish company called Electrolux and was named Trilobite. It worked fairly well; however, it had problems with bumping into objects and stopping in short distances from walls and certain obstacles, which meant that it cleaned randomly and not thoroughly. Since then, robot vacuum cleaners have come a long way, and the smart technology used in most of them has evolved drastically.

In the following article, we’ll take a closer look at the history of the robot vacuum cleaner and exactly how it has changed and helped people in the 21st century.

History of robot vacuums

In the year 2001, a British company by the name of Dyson created the DC06.

Unfortunately, it was quite expensive and never reached mass production.

A year after that, iRobot, an American influenced technology company, launched the Roomba.

The Roomba is quite impressive and can change direction when it comes into contact with an obstacle.

It also detects dirt spots and steep stairs that keep it from falling down the stairs.

The Roomba became very popular, very fast, and this led companies to return to the idea of robotic vacuum cleaners.

There are a few models of Roomba in various price ranges to this day.

Neato robotics has also come out with a robotic vacuum that uses laser vision as opposed to ultrasound, while Dyson creates robotic vacuums that use a vision system of cameras that enhance its navigation.

In 2014 Dyson came out with a robotic vacuum cleaner that had a 360-degree camera mounted on top of it.

This feature was to improve the robots’ navigational ability, and it was also credited for having more suction power than previous robot vacuums.

Other breakthroughs in vacuum technology include improved batteries and the use of smartphone technology that allows you to sync your phone with your vacuum cleaner.

Ultimately this allows the user more control and versatility.

The vacuum cleaners nowadays can scan rooms and calculate the most effective cleaning path and instinctively know how to avoid obstacles.

They also have long term remedies and update their movements frequently. 

Electric motors have also been added to robotic vacuum cleaners since they have great suction power and also work for much longer periods without having to recharge the battery.

Robot vacuum cleaners drastically changed the way people clean their homes in the 21st century.

However, on the downside, they can take significantly longer to clean the room than a traditional vacuum cleaner.

So for those who are pressed for time, this can present a challenge.

They are also quite pricey as compared to traditional vacuum cleaners and work well on flat surfaces only.

That’s probably one of the major flaws.

They also tend to have problems with thicker pile carpets, and of course, they cannot clean staircases.

The good news is that vacuum cleaners are still improving, and the shortcomings are in the process of being sorted someday.

What was the first one and who invented it?

The first vacuum cleaner was created by a Swedish household and professional appliances manufacturer known as Electrolux.

It was called the Trilobite; however, it never gained in popularity or went into mass production.

The fact is it did have quite a few problems, and this is what led to its production being discontinued.

Related Questions

When was the first robot vacuum created?

The first robot vacuum was created in the year 1996.

Who created the first robot vacuum cleaner?

A Swedish appliance and manufacturing company by the name of Electrolux created the first robot vacuum cleaner.

What was the first robot vacuum called?

It was named Trilobite.