"Roomba j7 +" (on the right) comes with a clean base that is horizontally long and easy to use. The left side of the photo is the floor cleaning robot "Brava Jet m6"

This time, I used Rumba j7 + (hereinafter, j7 +) with a clean base. The official online store price is 129,800 yen. Roomba j7 (hereafter, j7) without a clean base costs 99,800 yen. The clean base is a device that sucks up the dust collected by Roomba and collects it in an internal replaceable paper pack. It also charges Roomba. The j7 comes with a charge-only home base.

Compared to existing models, the Rumba j7 series has a calm black and graphite-like design, unlike the fabric-like "Rumba i3" series and the copper gold and metallic design "s9" series. In addition, the clean base has become horizontally long from the conventional vertical type. As will be described later, this is one of the major points.

The main differences between the Roomba j7 series and the conventional Roomba are the following four points.

In the j7 series, a camera is mounted on the front of the robot vacuum cleaner. This allows you to recognize obstacles in a wider area. Also check the floor and obstacles near the floor. In particular, it recognizes and avoids cables (headphone cables, power cables), pet excrement, shoes (slippers), socks, and charging stations. The objects that can be recognized will be more accurate and the types of objects will increase in future updates.

Generally, before moving the robot vacuum cleaner, there is a concern that it will get caught if you do not clean up the room and gather the cables etc., but j7 + and j7 automatically recognize the cables and clean while avoiding them. It doesn't get caught.

In my home, when I was a kid, I used to say, "I'll clean up for rumba!", But when I'm in elementary school, I don't want to clean up and leave my socks off. Also, computer cables and desk lamp cords often hang down, so I used to check the children's room and clean up the house before moving the robot vacuum. I would be very happy if this trouble was eliminated. Immediately, I tried to see how smart the j7 + was.

Automatically avoid things cluttered on the floor, how is it?

To use the obstacle recognition function of j7 + / j7, it is necessary to link with the smartphone's dedicated application "iRobot HOME" (Android / iOS / iPadOS). After cooperation, first clean the whole house with j7 + and j7 several times and make a map. In the case of my home, the whole map was completed after cleaning it about 4 times.

Then edit the map to name the room and specify the boundaries. By doing this, you can specify the room and order, such as "only the children's room", "only the kitchen and study", "after the kitchen, clean the children's room, and finally the living room".

Now, let's specify the "play room (children's room)" and clean it with j7 +. I moved it with the computer cable, socks, etc. in place. Since j7 + and j7 also recognize pet excrement, clay that looks like excrement is also placed on the floor of the room.

[Video] I'm working to avoid computer cables and clay (intention of pet excrement)

While j7 + is cleaning the child's room, if it recognizes an obstacle such as a cord, it will move a little slowly and avoid it at a distance from the obstacle. After that, we will clean the places other than obstacles, and when the cleaning is completed, the application will receive a report of the cleaning result.

Not only can you see where the obstacle was on the map, but you can also see if the obstacle is always there or if it's a temporary obstacle. You can clean the place where there was an obstacle again later, so if you move (clean up) the power cord etc. and then start j7 + / j7 again, you can clean it.

The j7 + / j7 learning information moved at the user's home can be fed back to the iRobot cloud (no personally identifiable information is sent, and no feedback is possible). The obstacle information fed back by the user is managed on the cloud together with the information of other Roomba users, and will be reflected in future function upgrades.

At the time of launch of j7 + and j7, we will recognize cables (headphone cord, power cable), pet excrement (solid feces only), shoes (slippers), socks, and charging station.

When I tried obstacles other than the above, they cleaned it while avoiding stuffed animals and large cushions. I didn't recognize the pen or pencil and decided to drag it ... Also, the slippers that I should have avoided sometimes hit at first, but it seems that I learned after cleaning several times, and it disappeared.

The point of this function is to learn. A huge amount of information is gathered in the cloud, and by learning and analyzing it, the recognition accuracy of obstacles will increase, and the types of obstacles that can be recognized will increase. Personally, I want children's blocks and stationery to be recognized as soon as possible.

The "hit" to the furniture is soft

The j7 + and j7 are equipped with a camera on the front of the main unit to improve the recognition accuracy of furniture. Specifically, the way it hits furniture has become softer. For example, if you are near a window with a curtain, gently approach the curtain and gently reduce the distance to clean the window. Also, I slowly touch the legs of the table and chairs. Previously, Roomba had the image of hitting furniture ruggedly, but I felt that the furniture was less likely to be scratched.

The way to hit is soft, but pull the brush to the very limit of the legs of the furniture and apply the brush many times from various directions. When I checked after cleaning, I got the impression that the legs and walls were thoroughly cleaned.

[Video] Gently touch when cleaning around furniture such as chairs (sound will be heard. Please be careful)

However, in this trial, the j7 + moves too slowly and gets stuck in the sun of the sweep-out window with the curtain, so I need help. The place that fits many times is designated as a no-entry area in the app. It depends on the living environment, so I can't say it unconditionally, but it is convenient to be able to easily specify the no-entry area from the app in such cases. By the way, in my house, j7 + and j7 do not fit in all the steps, and the steps at the entrance can be avoided and cleaned.

It is safer to try cleaning the rug several times

j7 + and j7 are good at flooring and hard rugs, but cleaning soft rugs that sink with low resilience may be a little difficult to clean at once. I sprinkled baking soda (assuming fine dust) and cat litter (assuming a little big dust) on the rug and moved it, but even after cleaning was finished, there was still some dust left.

On the other hand, the floor, which easily absorbs dust such as flooring, has become clean with almost no dust left behind even after cleaning once. That's a good thing about robot vacuums, and you don't clean them yourself, so it's a good idea to specify that you clean areas where it's difficult to remove dust multiple times a day.

If you are still worried, specify the location in the app and clean it. In the app, you can check the "time required for cleaning", so it was helpful to be able to clean it reliably even when you have a schedule and go out. Alternatively, it is recommended to use a cordless stick vacuum cleaner for soft rugs and use it together with Roomba.

Allows you to stock spare carton on a clean base

With the j7 +, the clean base has been changed from the conventional vertical type to a horizontally long type, and the feeling of oppression when placed is considerably reduced. The clean base automatically sucks in the dust collected in the dust container of the Roomba body and transfers it to the sealed paper pattern inside the clean base.

One paper pack collects garbage for 30 times, so if you clean it once a day, you should throw it away once a month. It's very easy because you don't have to throw away the trash every time. In addition, the new Clean Base allows you to stock one spare carton inside the Clean Base. If this is the case, the replacement work will be smooth.

Personally, if I replace it once in a while, I'll be looking for "Where did you put the spare carton?", So I want you to stock not only one but several times ... (It's good to manage it properly. ).

If you look closely at the clean base, there is a sticker on the front. j7 + reads the pattern on this sticker (like a QR code) to know the location of the clean base. It is a mechanism that allows you to return smoothly without waste.

[Video] From the movement to return to the clean base to suction. The operation sound is loud (sound is played. Please be careful)

When you return to the clean base, dust will be sucked up from the dust box of Roomba. The sound at this time is so loud that I am surprised at first. There is no setting to turn off suction to the clean base. This time, I was running j7 + when my family wasn't at home or when everyone was out. By the way, in the app, you can use the location information of your smartphone to set "Roomba will start cleaning when you go out".

In addition, the rubber dual action brush that does not easily get entangled with hair and the washable dust container are continuing from the conventional model. Easy to clean is a big point.

Looking forward to future learning about obstacle avoidance ability

Personally, it was a hassle to throw away the trash from the dust box of the main body every time after cleaning the robot vacuum, so a clean base is essential. However, in my home, the robot vacuum cleaner is often placed in the first place in the living room, so installation and design are also important. By making the j7 + clean base horizontally long, I think it looks much better when considered as an interior than the conventional clean base.

I tried j7 + and was satisfied with the cleaning performance. You can easily specify the room to clean and the place you want to clean carefully with the app, so if you think that cleaning is not enough, you can move it immediately. The screen and operation of the app are easy to understand.

The automatic obstacle avoidance function of j7 + and j7 is expected in the future learning situation. Avoiding pet excrement is a big point, but I think that many households do not have pets, so it would be nice if they could grow up to avoid various things. By the way, large spills of sweets and bread were sometimes recognized as obstacles and avoided, and sometimes they were pushed. Spreading wet spills can be difficult to clean up, so it would be even more convenient if you could recognize your pet's excrement in the same way.