Robot vacuum cleaner lgi home bot. Robot vacuum cleaner LG Hom Bot
2015 You can already easily update the firmware of your smartphone. But the firmware of a vacuum cleaner is already something new and unknown. LG never ceases to amaze and invites us to face the future now. Meet the LG Hom-Bot Square VR6270LVM - your “smart” robot vacuum cleaner.
A “smart” vacuum cleaner is a small robot assistant that vacuums your apartment itself. With minimal outside interference.
They pressed “START” and he drove off, and then returned to the base, recharged and went back to work. While it looks small in size and squarely glamorous, it doesn’t immediately inspire confidence - can it really compete with 350-watt monsters? Is there any benefit to it other than for your cat to ride on it? We will try to answer these questions below.
The robot vacuum cleaner boom began a few years ago. At first they were completely stupid, they constantly got stuck, hit the walls, and weakly sucked in dust. But progress does not stand still, even after several generations - they can really surprise.
LG Hom-Bot Square is one of the latest developments in robotic dust suction from your carpet. The name includes the word Square - i.e. square. Yes, it is indeed square, and it is a pattern break. Competitors (Samsung, Iclebo, etc.) are mostly round. But here LG acted wisely. Thanks to its shape, Hom-Bot can get into even the dirtiest corner of your apartment.
Appearance
Unpacking the box with the vacuum cleaner, we did not expect to see such an attractive design on... the vacuum cleaner. Bright ruby color, glossy surface, bright display. The first impression is beautiful and fashionable.
Let's look at its technical characteristics:
In addition to the vacuum cleaner itself, the kit includes: a remote control, a charging base, various cloths and scrapers, a spare HEPA filter, a special nozzle and a microfiber pad that allows you to wipe the floor.
Scheduled cleaning is also possible. You set the time, and the vacuum cleaner itself will go to clean the apartment in your absence. It creates little noise, even in TURBO mode (enhanced suction mode).
If the battery in the vacuum cleaner runs low, it returns to the base itself to recharge.
Oh yes - he also speaks Russian in a female voice - various information notifications. And if he gets stuck under a cabinet, he calls for help.
The robot remembers your apartment and every time it navigates better. Therefore, if the first time he didn’t get comfortable on your carpet, it doesn’t matter, next time everything will be better. He also remembers the areas where he cleaned and where he has not yet. All this really works and has been tested in practice.
It is worth noting that the vacuum cleaner has a USB port for updating firmware. And some craftsmen have already released their own “updates” - for example, with the voice of Darth Vader.
We made several videos to show the work of LG Hom-Bot square in the “field conditions” of a Minsk apartment.
Video 1 – Review of the robot vacuum cleanerLGHom-Botsquare – Cleaning
Here millet is specially scattered on the carpet. The vacuum cleaner sees this area for the first time. The result is on video. As we can see after 4 minutes of cleaning, 85% of the garbage was removed. The robot is not stuck anywhere. Considering the difficult terrain and the nature of the garbage, the robot did a good job.
Video 2 - Review of the robot vacuum cleanerLGHom-Botsquare – Carpet
Flour is spilled on the carpet. Cleaning efficiency has been demonstrated. The vacuum cleaner was used in manual control using a remote control. Even with such complex “garbage” as flour, the vacuum cleaner, although not immediately, did the job. Afterwards, not a trace of the spilled substance remained on the carpet.
Video 3 - Review of the robot vacuum cleanerLGHom-Botsquare – Jump
The vacuum cleaner jumps onto the carpet. Even a high carpet is not a hindrance to him.
conclusions
During the entire testing of the vacuum cleaner, it showed its best side: it did not get stuck, did not make noise like classic vacuum cleaners. It does not have the “childhood diseases” of the first robot vacuum cleaners. He cleaned the carpet effectively - it was clear to the naked eye that the carpets were becoming cleaner. Even if this is not a complete replacement for a regular vacuum cleaner, it is a good addition to it. If you don't have any time to clean, Hom-Bot is a good choice.
We thank the representative office of LG Electronics in Minsk for the vacuum cleaner provided.
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Comments
savely June 16, 2015 - 20:31
> the average price there is about $650
Expensive. I use a machine that is 2 times cheaper and I suspect that it is NOT 2 times worse. :)) A map of the premises is a good thing, but even without it it’s fine.
So there is a proposal to test/compare a robot from the price category >= 15,000 RUR.
But in general, for everyday cleaning, a robot vacuum cleaner is a useful thing, in my opinion. But with restrictions and conditions. Type:
There shouldn't be a mess on the floor
Cables must be properly removed
Well, I won’t tell you about the carpet, I have laminate. But the rug in the hallway seems to clean more or less normally.
> Finish but he won't crawl under the sofa
The cool thing is that it will climb just right (with the appropriate height of the legs, of course). And it will even come out. And under kitchen cabinets and all sorts of chests of drawers. :))
savely June 16, 2015 - 20:37
By the way, my first entries were 3 months ago (I wrote to a friend, she was interested in the topic), then copy-paste:
Today was the first launch. I’m writing like “first impressions”, sorry for the confusion.
I have 67 sq.m., the cleaning was for 2 rooms + a small hallway
(I didn’t run it into the workshop, i.e. minus 17 meters somewhere).
The rooms are generally in order, i.e. at least there is nothing lying on the floor.
Except that I had to lift/remove the chairs. They could have left them, but then the dust would have remained under them.
It worked for about 2 hours, as stated (the first run had to completely deplete the battery).
But in reality, I’ve been waiting for the last half hour - when you’ll want to exercise there.
Cleaning the living room - he got under the kitchen cabinets and under the sofa! And then he got out! :)
Cleaning the nursery - there is nothing complicated, everything is OK in about 20 minutes.
It looks like it drives pretty crazy, but half an hour of driving like this gives quite the result.
It’s quite difficult for my rooms to intersect, so I “moved” him from room to room with my hands and closed the room. I closed it - not necessarily with a door, a box from it is enough. It’s cardboard and light (well, 1 kg), but he doesn’t get impudent, i.e. doesn't try to defeat her.
It comes with a “virtual wall” (a small box that you place in an opening and it will not cross this opening), but I just recently bought batteries for this “wall”, i.e. I haven't tried it yet.
Noise - well, in the next room you can hear something humming slightly. I rate it as below average.
My hood is noisier.
He picked up one and a half containers. Considering that no one had crawled under the sofa and kitchen for a long time.
Those. It will be realistic to wash the container after 1-2 cleanings.
The container is small, about 0.5 l. But it is easy to maintain - take it out, shake out the garbage, and wash it with water under the tap. Consumables include a filter in front of the engine, but the kit also includes a spare one; two types are enough for a year according to a piece of paper.
The general impression is that I liked the hardware.
From what needs to be thought of
- think about where to put the base (it comes to charge itself). Now she is in such a corner that he himself cannot find her.
- he can do it on a schedule (i.e. he will go clean up himself), but still it seems to me that lifting chairs
and manual relocation of rooms is not consistent with completely autonomous work.
Although, you have to try. Perhaps you just need to not interfere with the robot’s work. :))
In general, I like it, it’s a cool piece of hardware.
A year ago, we tested the LG VR5905L robot vacuum cleaner and noted both its advantages (primarily, very quiet operation and ergonomics) and disadvantages. And first among them was insufficient suction power. And here is the long-awaited new product - LG HOM-BOT SQUARE - the only vacuum cleaner with a square (almost square) shape. But the difference from its predecessor is not only in the design, designed to better work out the corners (by the way, for this purpose the side brushes are extended by 1.5 cm)...
The test was conducted by Polina STRIZHAK
ADVANTAGES: unique square design, elongated side brushes, very convenient dust collection system, voice prompts, maximum “intelligent” abilities, the ability to clean in the dark, overcome obstacles, turbo mode, memory, learning ability, ease of operation, highest ergonomics, large wipe area, spectacular and stylish appearance.
DISADVANTAGES: there is no “virtual wall” motion limiter and sensors for detecting increased pollution.
SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER COUNTRY: Korea.
POWER: consumed - 13 W.
NOISE LEVEL: 60 dB.
FILTRATION: wide exhaust filter EPA 11.
CONTROL AND INDICATION: remote control, voice prompts in Russian, learning function, memory buffer, route map, automatic turbo cleaning of carpets, manual activation of the turbo cleaning mode (Turbo button), surface type recognition, button lock function, program selection button, start/stop button , Picto display, programmable timer, continuation of cleaning from an interrupted area, intelligent auto-diagnosis, silent MUTE mode.
CHARGING TIME: 3 hours.
BATTERY: lithium polymer (Li-Ion Polymer) without memory effect: retains up to 90% capacity after 300 recharges, 14.8 V/1900 mAh.
CLEANING DURATION: up to 100 minutes.
DESIGN: Square design, extra long side brushes (60mm), 172mm main brush, Dual Eye 2.0 routing camera system with improved II-SLAM top camera, digital bumper with ultrasonic sensors, optical location sensor, 4 pairs of ultrasonic sensors, distance sensor 20 cm, break detection sensors, top location of the dust collector, dust container volume - 0.6 l.
EQUIPMENT: charging base, remote control, spare filter, microfiber cloth holder, microfiber cloth, spare side brushes, dust bin cleaning brush, main brush cleaning brush (if hair gets tangled).
COLOR: red.
DIMENSIONS: 340x340x89 mm.
WEIGHT: 3 kg.
GUARANTEE: 2 years 1 + 3 years free service.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS
The new product is equipped with an unprecedented number of sensors (45!) that help the robot navigate and plan a route, the ability to remember the features of a room, learning ability, and “night vision”—orientation in the dark.
HOM-BOT SQUARE speaks Russian (it is possible to turn off hints), is equipped with a key lock function, and includes a napkin for collecting fine dust in an area 2.5 times larger than its predecessor.
The volume of the dust collector has also been increased by 200 ml, but the dust collector itself is just as hygienic to clean and easy to remove as before. HOM-BOT SQUARE is extremely beautiful and works quietly. It is difficult to say with whom it competes in this test - with competitors, with the previous model VR5905LM or with no one, since so far it is the only one of its kind.
PROGRAMS
Basic modes
My place mode
A cleaning algorithm that allows you to clean twice in an area specified from the remote control in Zigzag mode - to improve the quality of cleaning.
ERGONOMICS OF CONTROL
Control Panel
It is located on top of the lid and consists of only three buttons and a display. The Mode button selects a program; with each press, the voice assistant says which program is selected. The Turbo button can be used to manually turn on or off the mode of increased suction power and increased rotation speed of the main brush.
"On/Off" button - confirm the choice of program or turn off the robot. The Home button directs the vacuum cleaner to the base. Simultaneously hold for 3 seconds. The Turbo and Mode buttons can be used to lock the control panel (for example, from children) and unlock it. The buttons are even specially connected with an arrow pattern so as not to refer to the instructions.
Picto display
Using icon icons, the display shows the selected mode, battery level, repeat (if activated), timer (if activated), turbo mode (if activated), current time (AM/PM).
Sound signals
Every user action, the start and end of the vacuum cleaner, the choice of program or problem is “spoken”: voice prompts make communicating with the robot a real pleasure. It even greets its owner when turned on! I immediately wanted to answer him and call him something.
Remote control
It is used not only for duplicating the control panel, but also for setting the timer, sending the vacuum cleaner to the base for recharging when it is necessary to select the My Place program. With its help, you can direct the vacuum cleaner towards the dirt and “show” it the boundaries where it needs to be cleaned more thoroughly.
Timer settings
If the current time is set, you need to press the Clock button on the remote control and select the time using the arrows on the remote control. Pressing the Schedule button on the remote control completes the schedule creation process.
CLEANING QUALITY
Conditions: tests were carried out in the showroom of the manufacturer, a promotional model with an incomplete battery capacity was tested, a heavily soiled area of about 15 m² with corners and obstacles (laminate) and a small area of approximately 1.5x2.5 m (carpet) were cleaned.
Unlike home tests of other test models (where there were mostly ordinary contaminants), here we were forced to create contaminants and, it must be said, we overdid it. It is unlikely that a robot, created not for basic cleaning, but for daily maintenance of cleanliness, will in real “life” have to deal with tea, flour, and foam crumbs sprinkled all over its surface.
Angle before and after cleaning
Works everywhere - in corners and on carpet
Running with obstacles.
Naturally, the first thing that interested us in this model was the quality of the corners. The manufacturer claims that, thanks to the square design and elongated side brushes, the new robot grips corners significantly better compared to round models. We did not compare, but simply decided to evaluate the capabilities of the new product: we poured garbage into the corners. It must be said that, indeed, our test subject took out almost all the garbage, literally 1 cm² remained, but this, believe me, is unattainable with round models that do not work out corners at all.
The cleaning quality of a smooth floor is quite good, and with a microfiber cloth it is impeccable, especially if fine dust is bothering you.
The quality of carpet cleaning is excellent, especially since the robot automatically turns on turbo mode when it hits the carpet and the suction power increases. If you want to increase suction on a smooth floor, then this mode can be turned on manually by pressing the corresponding button.
In our test, the carpet was heavily sprinkled with our rubbish mixture, but the “baby” managed. There was, however, a small spot of flour left, but the My Place program helped here: we simply gave the robot an area with a spot and forced it to work hard in this place.
NOISE LEVEL
As we have already noted, this is a very quiet model, it practically does not cause discomfort, only in turbo mode the noise level increases (up to 62 dB), but not so much as to make you want to run out of the room. By the way, you can set a cleaning time for a time when you are not at home - and you will not hear anything at all.
SEARCH BASE
During testing, the robot found the base and “parked” without problems. At the same time, he always announced his actions: “The search for the base begins,” “Charging begins,” “Charging is finished.”
ERGONOMICS DESIGN
Dust collector. The dust collector compartment is located at the top, which is much more convenient than at the bottom or side. It opens with a light touch of your finger: the lid folds smoothly and the container can be pulled out by the handle. The design of the dust collector is closed, so nothing spills out of it, you can easily carry it to the trash can, and shake out the contents in one motion.
Cleaning brushes and other parts. The round brush is dismountable, the roller can be removed and cleaned very easily. Two replaceable side brushes are included.
Replacing/cleaning filters. The exhaust filter must be replaced once a year; it can be easily removed and easily reinstalled. The cyclone system of the dust container is washable.
Additional amenities
HOM-BOT SQUARE records cleaning information in a memory buffer, recording the location of obstacles on the map. With a new cleaning cycle, the vacuum cleaner compares the map of the previous cleaning and the specified route, analyzes, finds matches, and if the maps match (cleaning is done in the same place, with equally located obstacles), it cleans faster and more efficiently.
Thanks to the Learning function, the vacuum cleaner avoids collisions with obstacles, minimizes approach to dangerous sections of the route (stairs, cliffs) using special sensors and reducing speed.
I came across the idea of buying a robot vacuum cleaner here on the forum, I was very interested in this topic, but at first I still perceived robots more as an expensive toy that was simply interesting and nothing more; I thought there was not much benefit from it. I read a lot of reviews on different models, compared several of the most advanced robot orientation algorithms and several well-known manufacturers. I watched a lot of video comparisons and looked at the real work of Roomba. As a result, I bought this robot vacuum cleaner LG Hom-Bot VR6270LVM, I bought it from this seller.
The seller turned out to be extremely talkative and promptly answered all questions, even though there were a lot of questions. It is also possible to purchase all the necessary consumables from him. At my request, the seller even contacted Korean LG and found out some details for me.
Now about the device itself -
Advantages:
- a useful thing in the house, not only is it useful - it brings dust in a dust collector every time, although it seems unclear where he gets it from, it is also very interesting to watch how he navigates the terrain and finds a base in end of the cleaning cycle.
- easy to maintain, the dust collector can be easily removed and cleaned, all moving mechanisms are well adjusted and, as a result, hair, dirt, and wool do not get on the rotating parts.
- does not hit furniture, in fact, he does not touch it, although he comes close, slows down before any obstacle and comes close at low speed.
- the possibility of independent firmware when a new version of the firmware is released, this fact became decisive for me when choosing from several options.
- the ability to change the dialogue language, initially the robot arrived with the Korean language, which I didn’t like a little, although it didn’t create big problems, but with the help of a Linux guru, everything was reflashed and the robot spoke Russian, even though LG’s Russian support told me They said that changing the dialogue language is impossible.
- ability to set a cleaning schedule.
- automatic activation of turbo mode when passing carpeted surfaces
- availability of consumables
- the ability to choose from several cleaning modes, although in reality I have only used one so far.
- the ability to be used as a floor polisher, although dry wiping of floors, but still wiping, there is an adapter included for attaching microfiber
- low noise level when cleaning
- attractive design that prevents getting stuck in narrow places
Flaws:
- does not always find the base at the end of the cleaning cycle, i.e. sometimes the orientation system fails and the robot “forgets” that it has already cleaned in these places and cleans again and again until the battery runs out, after which it hurries to the base to recharge. If everything is fine, then by the end of the cleaning cycle (an apartment of 65 m2 is cleaned in about 45 minutes), it finds the base itself and does not clean in those places where it has already been. As I learned, this loss of orientation is a fairly typical case for robots that use an upper chamber and navigate along the ceiling.
- Korean inscriptions on the remote control and on the body of the vacuum cleaner itself, but I knew what I was getting into.
- limited options when choosing a cleaning schedule, I would like to set the schedule by day of the week, but here it is only possible either every day, at a certain time, or on the desired day you can simply set the on time.
And finally, here is a list of models that I considered when choosing:
- iClebo Arte
-iRobot
-Neato
- Kobolt
The conclusions are this: the thing is not cheap, but it really works and does its useful job, and most importantly, so far there are only positive emotions, including for the whole family, and this is the main thing!
The first part of the name of the second LG robot vacuum cleaner that we tested is similar to the name - Hom-Bot ( Hom e ro Bot- “home robot”). It has an add-on in the form of Square ( English“square”), emphasizing the shape of the body of this robot. Of course, the top view gives only a hint of squareness, but still the geometry of the Hom-Bot Square is noticeably different from all the almost perfectly round robot vacuum cleaners we have tested. Let's see what this deviation from the established tradition will ultimately yield.
Specifications, delivery set and price
| Kinematic system | Two drive wheels, steering roller and auxiliary roller |
| Dust collection method | Inertial movement and vacuum filtration |
| Dust collector | Capacity 0.6 l, one compartment |
| Main brush | One: pile |
| Side brushes | Two |
| Additionally | Microfiber wiping pad and rubber squeegee |
| Cleaning modes | Zigzag, Cell by Cell, Repeat, Spot, My Place, Manual Cleaning, Scheduled Cleaning, Cleaning with Microfiber Pad |
| Working surface width |
|
| Noise level | 60 dB |
| Obstacle sensors | Ultrasonic bumper, IR obstacle and height difference sensors, shock sensor, threshold sensor |
| Orientation sensors | IR base search sensor, top video camera, bottom video camera, gyroscope |
| Controls on the body | Touch buttons |
| Remote control | IR remote control |
| Alert | LED segment display and voice/audio alert |
| Battery life | Approximately 100 min (on a regular wooden floor) |
| Charging time | 3 hours |
| Charging method | On charging base with automatic return |
| Battery | Lithium polymer battery, 14.8 V, 1900 mAh |
| Power consumption | 14(18) W when charging battery |
| Weight | 3 kg |
| Dimensions (width×length×height) | 340×340×89 mm |
| Peculiarities | Vertical removal of the dust container, HEPA 11 filter, creation of a map and selection of the optimal cleaning route |
| Contents of delivery* |
|
| Link to manufacturer's website | |
| Average current price (number of offers) in Moscow retail (ruble equivalent - in the tooltip) | $480() |
| *The delivery set must be specified before purchase. | |
Accessories included:
The robot and all its accessories are packaged in a cardboard box with full-color design, and, more importantly, with a plastic carrying handle.
Appearance
In plan, the shape of the vacuum cleaner body resembles not a square, but a circle slightly flattened on four sides.
The edges at the bottom are beveled and slightly rounded, the transition from the sides to the top panel is angular.
The bevel at the bottom will help you get over obstacles, and the vertical sides at the top will reduce the chance of the vacuum getting stuck under obstacles with little clearance. The top of the case is covered with a ring-shaped panel made of transparent plastic, under which there is a substrate with a silver-red pattern. The central part of the top panel is a similarly designed plastic cover of the dust collector compartment, which folds forward and upward.
In the center of the cover there are four capacitive touch buttons and a segmented red LED display indicator that is invisible when turned off. In the front of the top panel there is a slightly protruding platform made of black mirror-smooth plastic with a window (apparently plastic) for the top video camera. Along the perimeter of the case there is an insert made of mirror-smooth, black and seemingly opaque plastic, behind which there are IR obstacle sensors, receiving signals from the remote control and detecting the charging base.
In the front of the case you can see three horn holes for ultrasonic obstacle sensors and a soft PVC bumper strip,
in the back there is a grille through which air is blown.
On the left side, closer to the back, there is a mechanical power button, protected by a soft plastic case. The lower part of the case is made of black plastic with a matte surface.
Turning the vacuum cleaner upside down, we will see two contact pads, a steering roller, two side brushes, a yellow (or rather, according to this color is called “Pear”) compartment with the main brush, two drive wheels on spring-loaded levers, a battery compartment cover, an auxiliary roller and a peephole bottom camera with four LED backlights.
In the front part of the bottom, closer to the edge, there are windows for three IR height difference sensors. The side brush assemblies are protected by silver plastic covers.
The base on which the vacuum cleaner is recharged has a built-in power supply, which gives it additional weight. The base of the base is relatively large and at the bottom there are three tenacious ribbed platforms made of elastic plastic.
The combination of these features prevents unexpected movement of the base during maneuvers of the vacuum cleaner. On the back of the base body there is a recess with two hooks where you can carefully place excess power cable (its length is 155 cm).
On the side of the base there is a mechanical power switch, covered with a cap made of soft translucent plastic. The vacuum cleaner comes with a small IR remote control that doesn’t suffer from too many buttons.
The remote control can be stored in a special recess at the top of the base.
Operation
You can read about the functions of the vacuum cleaner in the included user manual. For those who are just looking at this type of technology, we can recommend downloading the manual from the Russian website of the manufacturer and studying it carefully.
The axles of the drive wheels are located on a line dividing the body approximately in half. This kinematic scheme allows the robot to make a turn on the spot with minimal changes in the boundaries of the area occupied by the robot. The relatively small height, smooth body around the perimeter and the absence of strongly protruding parts also play a positive role. As a result, the vacuum cleaner has good maneuverability and the ability to penetrate tight spaces with little clearance. However, the body is not round, but slightly square. Our measurements of the dimensions gave the following values: width - 339 mm, length - 345 mm, diagonal - 373 mm. That is, the robot is noticeably “wider” diagonally than lengthwise or widthwise, which raises some concerns - what if the robot ends up in a place where it can’t turn around? The body height we measured was 91 mm - a value rather typical for robots of this class. Measured weight - 2.9 kg. The manufacturer's specified cleaning speed is 350 mm/sec. It is stated that the robot can overcome obstacles (thresholds) up to 15 mm high (with a microfiber pad - only up to 5 mm).
The main brush is located at the front of the body, so the vacuum cleaner does not need to travel entirely across the surface to be cleaned. A rubber scraper attached to a spring-loaded frame helps remove debris from the floor. When cleaning, two front brushes scoop up debris from places where the main brush cannot pass due to steric hindrance. The example diagram below demonstrates the basic principle of dust collection:
Debris particles are thrown into the dust bin by the main brush, while the air flow created by the vacuum cleaner fan helps move the debris. At the outlet of the dust collector, the air is filtered through a mesh, a coarse foam filter and a fine HEPA filter.
On the bar itself, pictures explain how the overlay is attached.
To remove the dust container, you need to press its edge, open the lid on top of the vacuum cleaner body and pull the dust container by the folding handle.
The dust container cover is made of transparent, slightly tinted plastic, so the amount of debris in it can be assessed without even removing it from the vacuum cleaner. The yellow latch securely secures the dust container lid, and the entrance slot is closed by a folding curtain, so dust is unlikely to spill during the process of moving the dust container to the trash container. Debris from the dust collector can be easily shaken out; if necessary, its insides and filters can be cleaned using a conventional vacuum cleaner, and in case of severe contamination, all parts of the dust collector, including filters, can be washed with water (but everything washed must be thoroughly dried before use!). Additionally, periodically, as necessary, you need to clean the main brush and remove threads/hair wound on the axles of the side brushes and wheels. You can use the included brush to perform these procedures. We also received a special tool with combs and a blade for fibers, but we do not know whether it (as well as two spare side brushes) is included in the standard package. It is more convenient to clean the main brush by removing it from the compartment.
The brush cleans without any problems. The microfiber pad can be washed and dried as usual. Complete the cleaning of the vacuum cleaner by wiping the body with special attention to the windows of the IR sensors, cameras and the holes of the ultrasonic sensors. To restore the shape of the pile of the side brushes, they need to be soaked in hot water, straightened and allowed to dry. Note that the pile of the side brushes is relatively short and comes out of elastic leads, which together noticeably reduces the rate of “fragmentation” in comparison with long-haired brushes without leads like the previous model LG Hom-Bot VR5901LVM.
We would like to warn you that this vacuum cleaner should not be used in a damp room or on surfaces with spilled liquids. After the vacuum cleaner comes into contact with liquids, in the best case, it will take a long time to clean it from the adhering layer of dust; in the worst case, the vacuum cleaner may fail.
This model has five main cleaning modes:
Zigzag- one-time cleaning with a snake from obstacle to obstacle of the entire accessible area.
Cell by cell- the vacuum cleaner divides the room into several equal squares (3x3 m) and cleans with a snake within each square.
Spot- intensive cleaning of a specific area. The vacuum cleaner is either simply carried to the desired location or directed in manual control mode.
Manual- manual movement control using the remote control. Commands available from the remote control include turning (in place) left and right and moving forward and backward. Note that in this mode the vacuum cleaner moves only when one of the direction buttons is pressed - this is not always convenient.
My place- cleaning within specified boundaries.
A modifier is available for all modes Turbo, in which the cleaning intensity increases. For the first two automatic modes, you can additionally enable the option Repeat- repeat cleaning until the battery is completely discharged. It is stated that the vacuum cleaner will automatically continue cleaning from the place where it finished working after charging the battery if it runs out before finishing cleaning the entire room. It is also claimed that the robot can restore its orientation if it is forcibly moved during cleaning (although it is recommended to return it as close to the point of removal as possible, preferably within 1 m).
It is possible to configure the automatic start of cleaning once or daily at a set time.
About your status - current cleaning mode, charge level, etc. - the vacuum cleaner informs using a segment LED indicator with a red glow, in addition, about transitions between certain states - the start of cleaning, the end of cleaning, the start of searching for a charging base, the start of charging, etc., as well as about errors - the vacuum cleaner reports with sound signals , additionally pronouncing the corresponding text in a female voice (unexpectedly for a sweeper worker in a pleasant, if not intimate, voice). If desired, the sound/voice notification can be disabled.
Testing
Apparently, testing was carried out with not the latest version of the software (updates appear on the LG website), so the functioning of the robot may differ in some ways from robots with the current firmware version.
The video below was filmed from one point with the maximum possible coverage of the harvested area under our conditions, the base is located at the bottom center, and during processing part of the video sequence was accelerated five times. Mode Zigzag:
Mode Cell by cell:
The following video demonstrates the beginning and end of cleaning in the mode Cell by cell with mode enabled Turbo, taken in tracking mode:
In mode Zigzag The robot passes through the cleaning area once in a snake pattern with minimal overlap and, if possible, in the most rational way. This mode can be used to quickly clean a room. In mode Cell by cell the trajectory is somewhat more complicated and includes a walk around the perimeter, but the tendency to move like a snake can be seen. The robot definitely builds and uses a map of the surface to be cleaned, this can be seen in the route of movement - it cleans the surface only once if possible and deliberately moves to a place that it has not yet cleaned. Without the map, this behavior would not be possible. The robot cleans well near the base, but sometimes it slightly touches it and moves it a little, but not so much that this displacement would prevent the robot from returning to the base:
The robot, as a rule, drives into a narrow pen (about 50 mm wider than the width - namely the width - of the robot body) and successfully gets out of it, but in one of the first tests the vacuum cleaner still got stuck there, so we had to increase the width of this pen by another 30mm:
Even in the fastest mode Zigzag The quality of harvesting is quite high and there are no large unharvested areas (if you look at an enlarged photograph of the test field, you can see the remaining areas with unharvested rice and individual rice grains):
In mode Cell by cell The cleaning time doubles, but the quality of cleaning also increases, which increases even more when the mode is turned on Turbo:
In the mode until the battery is completely discharged (that is, with the option Repeat) on our flooring (commercial carpet with dense loop pile) and with the mode turned off Turbo The robot worked for about 90 minutes, and almost all of the test debris was collected:
The robot left a few grains in the corners and near the base:
And a couple of grains of rice ended up scattered across the square. The result is very good. After charging after working with the option Repeat, the robot for some reason wanted to continue cleaning, although the entire area had already been cleaned in the previous cycle. This behavior is slightly different from what we believe is described in the manual.
In mode Spot the robot cleans in an unfolding, then collapsing spiral in a circle with a diameter of one and a half or a little more than a meter (remember that the test area is a square with sides of 3 m):
Note that in this mode the robot returns approximately to the starting point and, upon completion of the process, is oriented in the same way as at the beginning of cleaning.
There are no devices for spatial limitation/organization of cleaning, so the user, in order to prevent the robot from entering some sensitive places, will have to invent/place mechanical obstacles. To limit the area to be cleaned once, you can use the function My place- first, manually outline the perimeter of the area to be cleaned, then start cleaning:
In practice, you are unlikely to want to use this mode often, since controlling the robot in manual mode, and even with an IR remote control, is not very convenient.
We measured the noise level in mode Spot, in which the robot moves longer near the microphone:
| Mode | Noise level, dBA, minimum/maximum |
| Ordinary | 51,2/53,4 |
| Turbo | 54,6/56,4 |
If you do not turn on the mode Turbo, then the robot works relatively quietly, so it can probably be launched at night (by turning off the sound alert), if not in the room in which the owners sleep, then in the next room. For comparison, the noise level under these conditions of a conventional (not the quietest) vacuum cleaner is approximately 76.5 dBA. In mode Turbo the operating volume increases and, in addition to mechanical noise, a nasty whistle appears (apparently from the fan). Sometimes, when moving quickly, the robot began to make a rattling sound, which, however, did not last long. In addition, a couple of times, some time after the start of cleaning, the robot began to knock loudly - the knocking can be heard at the end of the video. As it turned out, the reason for this was grains of rice stuck in the cracks of the main brush compartment. After proper cleaning the knocking noise stopped.
When charging the vacuum cleaner on the base, the power consumption is about 23 W. If the vacuum cleaner is turned on, charged and located on the base, then 4.1 W are consumed from the network. If the vacuum cleaner is removed from the base, then the consumption will drop to 1.1 W - this is how much the base itself, connected to the network, consumes. To charge the battery after it has been discharged in modes with the option Repeat takes a little less than two hours. Note that the battery compartment cover is screwed on with two screws with a secret head in the form of a depressed gear with a central protrusion. Therefore, although the process of removing the battery is described in the manual, it is not so easy to do without the appropriate, not very common tool.
conclusions
The LG Hom-Bot Square robot vacuum cleaner (VR6270LVM) is distinguished by the presence of an advanced orientation system that allows you to quickly and efficiently clean the entire area available to it, a good set of modes, functions and mode modifiers, and, most importantly, it cleans very well. Its body is slightly square, which slightly reduces maneuverability in tight places, but the side brushes located at the corners of the body easily remove debris from corners and close to obstacles. We also note the large working surface area of the microfiber pad, which perhaps makes this device a good floor cleaner for smooth surfaces. For its stylish body with a top panel in a noble burgundy shade and for its successful technical solutions, this robot deserves an editorial award for its original design.
Advantages:
- High quality cleaning
- Advanced orientation system and rational cleaning route planning
- Two remote side brushes with elastic leads
- Convenient removal and cleaning of the dust container
- Low body without protruding parts
- No mechanical bumper
- HEPA filter
- Sustainable base
- Quiet operation
- Possibility of installing a microfiber nozzle
- One-time or daily cleaning at a specified time
- There is a cleaning mode until the battery runs out with continuation
- Voice (switchable) notification
- Good equipment
Flaws:
- IR, not RF remote control
- Can move the charging base
- Unpleasant whistling in Turbo mode
- There are no means to limit the area being cleaned.
A few years ago, all publications suddenly started writing about gadgets. Some even changed their names in order to emphasize their new gadget essence. Then I came up with the magazine “Irons, Vacuum Cleaners and Smartphones,” emphasizing the absurdity of the emerging trend. Seriously, it’s a little naive to believe that the audience, accustomed to texts about washing machines and chainsaws, will suddenly start reading briskly about the iPhone, and advertisers will drive fat herds of budgets into the paddock of the publishing house.
I was joking. Trouble came from unexpected places. After a fair amount of texts about gadgets, I’m writing about the LG HOM-BOT SQUARE vacuum cleaner. And it’s unlikely that the fact that he is not a simple roaring dust eater, but a robot, justifies me much.
The vacuum cleaner is waiting in the wings
Smart vacuum cleaners have been sold for quite some time, but they have not yet reached the masses. I think it’s not only a matter of price (thanks to affordable consumer loans for iPhones at every cashier!), but also doubts about the functionality of this type of device. What if cleaning becomes bad?
I myself looked at robotic vacuum cleaners without much interest. My childhood was during the years when any vacuum cleaner, even the simplest one, was the most scarce household device. And therefore, it was even somehow... pleasant for me to once again walk around the apartment with a classic representative of this tribe. I was very pleased that there was no need to knock out the dust bag, as in the old days - now all the garbage is collected in a plastic bin, and you can simply pour it into the trash can. But when LG offered to test the latest model of the HOM-BOT family in practice, he did not refuse. What if it’s really time to give up conventional vacuum cleaners, like tube TVs and wired phones?
HOM-BOT SQUARE is supplied in a compact box and weighs less than 6 kilograms together with it. So it may well become an impulsive purchase that you, while lazily strolling through a household appliance store with your family, will grab and take into your household.
In the box, in addition to the hero of the occasion, you will be greeted by an additional filter, a spare pair of rotating attachments (more on them below) and a clever attachment for a cloth that can be used for automated wiping of floors (what progress has come!). There is also a base on which the vacuum cleaner is charged, and a remote control. Ask - why does a vacuum cleaner need a remote control? I, too, was perplexed until this miracle of technology drove far under the sofa and complained that it had gotten lost. I just used the remote control to lure him out.
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The HOM-BOT SQUARE itself is not at all like a classic vacuum cleaner. Rather, it resembles a bathroom scale - both in size and shape. The inquisitive reader has long guessed the latter by the name of the device. Yes, it really is a square. But its corners are rounded for greater efficiency. The lower part also bears little resemblance to the classic design of a vacuum cleaner. That is, there is a gap into which dust is sucked. But it is decorated with a rotating brush, which my peers remember from the Hedgehog semi-automatic cleaning brush. Under socialism, there were such flat boxes with two prickly rollers that quite effectively collected small debris and dust from the carpet. Here we get a hybrid system that is an order of magnitude more efficient. This pair is helped by rotating side brushes with three long “antennae”. They are one and a half centimeters longer than in previous models, which, combined with a square shape, according to LG itself, allows them to “grab corners 89% better, increasing the quality of cleaning in corners by 94%” (and I’m wildly interested in how they do this counted).
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You won't be able to weigh yourself with a vacuum cleaner, but checking the time is quite possible
The battery of the new model is lithium-polymer (capacity 1900 mAh), and not nickel-metal hydride. So it charges quite quickly and does not suffer from memory effect. In fact, charging time is not critical - one cleaning a day is enough, and then let it charge at least until the morning. But LG promises that the battery will charge from zero in three hours. I haven't tested it, but I believe it. After charging, they promise that the robot will travel for 100 minutes, but this is in theory. In practice, I would estimate about an hour. After all, the little assistant not only has to move back and forth in a straight line, but also constantly spin, go into turbo mode and overcome obstacles. On the other hand, an hour is a long time. During this time, the robot can easily cover about a hundred square meters.
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The never-sleeping eye of HOM-BOT
The first turn on of the robot went without any roughness. You just need to find a place in your apartment for the base, plug it into a power outlet, place the vacuum cleaner on top and wait a little. When the battery is fully charged, click on “Start” and... that’s basically it. HOM-BOT SQUARE has two main operating modes - the standard “Zigzag” and the more meticulous “Cell by Cell”. In the first case, the robot rolls quite freely around the rooms back and forth, and in the second it lingers on each segment more meticulously. I limit myself to “Zigzag”; fortunately, when cleaning the floors every day, there is no particular point in scrubbing the floors.
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A real off-road vacuum cleaner
Before the robot vacuum cleaner appeared, it seemed to me that the apartment was a fairly flat and easily accessible surface. From the point of view of a robot vacuum cleaner, this is not the case at all. Any unevenness on the floor, even if it is a thin children's rug, is perceived by him as a challenge. But there will be no problems with rugs and carpets, because when crossing something very convex, the robot can “stand up on its back.” It has an adjustable suspension and, when necessary, the wheels travel a decent distance, and the dust absorption mode is automatically switched to turbo mode.
For orientation in space, the robot uses two cameras. The first, infrared, is installed on the bottom and fixes the floor surface. The second, more classic one, stands on top and remembers the relief of the ceiling. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the robot does not have the ability to connect to a Wi-Fi network, otherwise it would be possible to periodically extract entertaining films from it. The resolution of the cameras is also not disclosed, but the lens on the top one looks impressive.
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This camera sees a lot of things, but I hope it won't show anyone
However, not just cameras. For greater accuracy of orientation in space and to avoid collisions with animate and inanimate objects, ultrasonic and infrared sensors are scattered along the front of the robot. They constantly check whether an obstacle has appeared on the way, and if they notice it, they immediately stop the robot. This works in a hundred cases out of a hundred, so your favorite cats, dogs and even guinea pigs will remain unharmed. I can’t vouch for hamsters, but most likely the robot will notice them too. If he doesn’t notice, hamsters are cheap these days... The filter can be removed from the vacuum cleaner and washed under the tap.
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This is how your cat sees the LG vacuum cleaner
In normal mode, HOM-BOT SQUARE operates very quietly. You can sleep next to him and you won’t wake up. Turbo mode isn't particularly noisy either. The only thing that can wake you up is the female voice with which the robot communicates its intentions. He's generally quite talkative. When he starts work, he will tell you about it. When he finishes and gets ready to go to the base, he won’t keep it to himself either. And if something big gets stuck or sucked in, he’ll tell you all the more. The robot's voice is quite pleasant and not intimidating. And yet, compared to other noises, it is loud.
And now, Fedor, about the main thing. About how this miracle of technology actually copes with its main responsibilities.
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Vacuum cleaner without waste container. I apologize for the lack of… glamor in some of the pictures. I actually tested the device in practice, and not just took pictures. And if you fight with dirt, it's hard not to get a little dirty
I programmed it so that cleaning starts every day at 15-00. Making a victorious sound, HOM-BOT SQUARE leaves the base and begins a tour of the apartment. He usually visits each room twice. The robot's nimbleness is pleasantly pleasing: it penetrates into all holes that are a couple of centimeters wider and/or higher than its body. And, importantly, he gets back out. Now under my giant sofa is so clean that I can play hide and seek with the children and cut sausage. The antennae brushes are really quite clever at removing dust from corners and hard-to-reach places, so we were not deceived here. At the end of the cleaning, the garbage container is about a third full, which, frankly, is a little shocking. How much dust floats in the Moscow air every day and settles in apartments...
But can cleaning with a robot vacuum cleaner be called complete? Yes and no.
Yes - because with the right pedantry he will go around the entire household and honestly suck up all the dust he can reach.
No - because miracles do not happen, and the vacuum cleaner cannot reach some places even if it wants to.
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Firstly, this is the area behind the interior doors. If the latter does not adhere closely to the wall, but forms a certain space behind it, all the dust there will remain in its original form.
Secondly, the robot is afraid of even minor “steps”. For example, my floor in the bathroom and toilet is about a centimeter lower than in the rest of the apartment. This is done to combat possible leaks. So, according to SQUARE, such a difference is critical, and he does not go there, although the capabilities of the suspension would completely allow him to do his job and get back out. Alas, you either have to bring it there yourself, or then finish the job with a regular vacuum cleaner.
And a few more rough edges. The robot sees well in front, but on the sides - a little worse. Therefore, when turning, it periodically gets stuck under the same battery. This is obviously a local incompatibility with a specific apartment, but still.
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Buying this robot is a great way to check the quality of apartment renovation. With an awkward movement, he tore off the baseboard in my kitchen. It is clear that the master is to blame, not the robot. But still. But the habit of tearing off corners from the baseboard is already on the conscience of the developers. You probably need to be a little more gentle with the outer corners. It’s especially touching when, having torn something off, the robot then carries it under itself until the end of the cleaning and takes it to the base. If the object is large (for example, soft slippers), the vacuum cleaner will try to suck it in and when it realizes that it is not working, it will stop. He also somehow got tangled in the strap of his backpack.
Total
Should you buy a robotic vacuum cleaner? It all depends on the expectations you put into this purchase.
If you are used to scrubbing the floor until it shines every day and hope that the robot will completely get rid of this unpleasant habit, don’t hope that it won’t. Until the robot learns to close doors and move furniture on its own, there will be places in the household that are inaccessible to it. And no one has canceled floor washing: wiping with fiber is, of course, a good thing, but an experienced housewife will wash it better.
If you’re busy from morning to night, and you don’t have the energy to clean at all, and you’re tired of walking through the dust, you should definitely take it. HOM-BOT is never lazy, and once a day it will clean your den quite efficiently. I hope you have the strength to empty the container into the trash can. And for wet cleaning on weekends too.
Pleasure, however, is not cheap. At retail, LG HOM-BOT SQUARE costs about 26,000 rubles, which is significantly more expensive than its analogues (they can be purchased for 15-20 thousand). And compared to “just vacuum cleaners” it turns out to be quite harsh.
But in this case, you are not buying a vacuum cleaner so much as time. For yourself or whoever is responsible for cleaning your home. What is more expensive - decide for yourself.
And if only they could invent a robot that neatly hangs clothes and puts things in order on the table.
P.S. Look how cute the HOM-BOT SQUARE robotic vacuum cleaners are dancing at the “Robot Ball” currently taking place in Moscow. In fact, these are the only robots that dance there at all.
