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back to article Robotics breakthrough blasts crud from that bit behind the lav

A water-pumping squeegee-wielding robot that can reach the awkward no man's land around the back of the loo was unveiled this week - a product launch narrowly overshadowed by the new iPad's debut. At 3.5in (8.9cm) tall and 6.5in (16.5cm) in diameter, the nimble iRobot Scooba 230 is designed to reach your fiddly bits. The muck- …

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  1. petur
    Meh

    What's the point?

    If it can only clean about 14m², the time it takes to fill and prepare it is about the time you need to get out the cleaning stuff and do it yourself.... The vacuum robots I can understand (and appreciate, owning a Navibot myself) since they can handle quite some floorspace before needing cleaning, but 14m²? Nah....

    2 0
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Facepalm

      Re: What's the point?

      How large exactly is your bathroom? 14 sqm is 3.5 x 4m, larger than most Brit bathrooms I've been in...

      1 0
    2. lucky charm
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Up

      Re: What's the point?

      Keep it up

      0 0
  2. Gary F

    Toilet humour...

    So it shouldn't have any problem disposing of unexploded bombs dropped in the lavatory? I think it would be more effective if it was fitted with a full size water canon, it looks a bit puny.

    2 1
  3. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Thumb Up

    Let's face it that bit around the back of the aveage crapper is pretty nasty

    I welcome our new robo-lavie cleaning overlords.

    1 1
  4. Andy Farley

    Surely...

    they can self-fill? Or should be able to soon.

    0 0
  5. auburnman
    Go

    Excellent work...

    Now build one that can climb the walls and clean the shower tiles and my wallet is yours.

    2 1
  6. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

    I'd be more impressed if they built one that you could drop down the loo, and have it come back after it had dealt with the blockage. On second thoughts, maybe a disposable one would be better. Flush & forget...

    1 0
  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can't wait

    My wife has been looking forward to the 230 for ages. When is that going to be available in the UK? We only have a small house so the small Scooba will be ideal. It means we can have a clean and dry kitchen floor ready for us when we get home from work.

    0 0
  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'd be much more interested in a robot that can clean the crud

    from that bit behind me that I sit on

    1 0
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I'd be much more interested in a robot that can clean the crud

      move to japan or buy a beday

      2 0
      1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
        Reply Icon
        Coat

        Re: I'd be much more interested in a robot that can clean the crud

        move to japan or buy a beday

        Aren't those girls quite expensive?

        It had to be asked.

        1 0
  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    no man's land

    Quite - only a member of the fairer gender would bother poking her head round there...

    AC for obvious reasons.

    3 0
  10. Rocketman
    Alien

    It's Not Just About the Toilet Crud

    I know how to clean behind the toilet. Proper cleaning, however, is not a trivial job as I understand it. I think this new robot is really cool and I mean "a good thing" and I'm hoping that this company will continue with it's robot inventions.

    What we need though is to have every high school in the U.S.A. administer a robot design class and it looks to me that having a specific design goal of a cleaning robot would be a good choice. Not even so much for the goal of building a working robot in itself but for the computer and mathematics model that would go into the control system. We need to be thinking of things like this because our education system needs to be overhauled.

    2 0
  11. Vin King
    Terminator

    I, for one...

    ...Welcome our new toilet cleaning overlords.

    1 0
  12. hungry thylacine
    Childcatcher

    cutting through the crap

    It's a clear indictment of the currency of our attention when the release of the inevitably redundant iPad3 completely obscures this obvious game-changer.

    0 0
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