A little while back my dad bought an iRobot Roomba. This little thingy is a self propelled vacuum cleaner. I’ve used it a number of times and it’s pretty cool.
The battery lasts about an hour. It has a bumper in the front and an infared sensor. It also senses itself tipping so it won’t go fall down the stairs. This model came with two towers so you can set up a virtual wall that will keep it contained in an area.
The program is designed to be easily hackable so you can program your own search/cleaning pattern. Because watching the thing go can be a little frustrating. The first time I used it, I was fascinated with it. Watching the random directional changes and it going over the same area beside a wall over and over I became irritated that it couldn’t sense where the lint was and just suck it up. I picked it up and pointed it towards the offending lint and let the Roomba go off again only to see another missed lint on the floor. I had to leave the room and allow to continue in peace.
It doesn’t replace vacuuming but it sure helps so I don’t vacuum nearly as often.
Bertha