Here’s one of those impulse buys I thought I might regret — that turned out to be a very useful new technological approach to a very old problem: iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot.

I’ve had mine for about three months and use it two or three times a week, and this little robot really does suck up the dirt very efficiently and intelligently. It’s kind of mesmerizing to watch as it decides how to negotiate around table legs, corners, and furniture. As a programmer, I’m impressed by the maneuvering algorithms built into this thing.

Sure, there are lots of evil world-dominating robots out there, but Roomba is one of the good ones. It won’t shove you down the stairs. It does a really good job of cleaning your lair, and only rarely misses anything. You can program it to do its thing on a schedule, it’s smart enough to avoid falling (or shoving) down the stairs, it cleans underneath chairs and couches and tables and beds (assuming proper clearance), and it comes with little “lighthouse” devices that help you direct it on its cleaning mission.

The only down side is that you really should clean the Roomba’s container, filter, and brushes after every use if possible, with your pitifully inadequate human hands. If you don’t, and something clogs up, the Roomba beeps plaintively, stops moving, and waits for you to notice. If it gets into this shell-shocked state, press the button on top and a bland female voice tells you in plain English what’s wrong. Come on, get it together, human.

When it’s completed cleaning a room, or its battery starts running out, the Roomba heads to its docking station automatically and charges up, like a good little robot should. Why can’t humans act this way?

Here’s a promotional video for the Roomba that shows what it can do.

FLV Video