Christmas trees are festive, but can be hazardous if you have toddlers, cats, or robot vacuums. iRobot has a solution for that last one, at least. Its “holiday tree recommendations” feature will help the Roomba J7 and J7+ steer clear of your holiday decorations.
As The Verge reports, the latest software update for iRobot’s top-rated robo vacs allows it to pick up all those pesky pine needles while also setting the tree itself as a no-go zone so the vacuum doesn’t bump into the tree’s base and accidentally knock it over.
The “holiday tree recommendations” feature will work similarly to the J7’s other intelligent-mapping features, which can see the robot intelligently recommend specific “Clean Zones” and “Keep-Out Zones.” That includes iRobot’s P.O.O.P. (Pet Owner Official Promise) guarantee to replace the robot for free if it runs over solid pet waste in the first year after purchase.
Per iRobot’s release notes, this week’s update also lets Roomba owners back up and restore maps that have been created for the Roomba i6, i7, i8, j7, s9, and m6—handy in the event of factory resets. That comes on top of the October introduction of the ability to copy Smart Maps between robot vacuums for users upgrading units or adding more than one to their home.
