Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
We test all vacuums on both hardwood and carpet floors.
How to test robot vacuums
Our method for evaluating robot vacuums is straightforward, but cumbersome. There are two types of tests that we administer. The first experience is to find out How does the robot cover the floor? While you clean. We built the industry standard test chamber as specified before International Electrotechnical Commission Just for this purpose. IEC is an international standards body responsible for administering robot vacuum testing procedures, among other things, for vacuum manufacturers.
Say hello to the Robot Vacuum Test Chamber. Inside are creatures that may look a little strange. They are designed to simulate furniture and obstacles that the robot would encounter in the real world.
Inside this room are objects designed to simulate the typical obstacles that a Facti navigation robot encounters as it clears. These obstacles include wall edges, table and chair legs, sofas and other furniture, and so on, in addition to tile and hardwood floors, as well as carpets. We run LED lights to the top of each vacuum. The dimensions of the lights correspond to the nozzle width measured for each specific robot vacuum we test.
As the robots move across the room while cleaning, an overhead camera takes a long exposure image of the entire room in low light. This image will then have a light path, created by the LEDs, which shows the areas the robot traveled (and its nozzle position) during its runtime. We can also see areas of the floor where the vacuum may have missed or stuck. You can see the navigation results for all of the robot vacuums in our test group in the gallery below.
The second type of test reveals exactly how much physical debris the vacuum is able to remove from the ground. To imitate dirt of a small particle size, we use a mixture of sand and landscape sand. For larger particulate soils, we use uncooked black rice grains. The robots then run in a straight line across three floor types (low carpet, medium carpet, and bare hard floor).
More from our robot vacuum test setup.
We control the specific nozzle width for each vacuum as well. We built an adjustable tool for our testing grounds. It allows us to tape a precise area of soil to match the nozzle dimensions of each robot. The soil mass is not chosen randomly either. We measure a proportional amount related to the flooring material, type of debris, as well as the nozzle width of each vacuum.
We perform three cleanings (at least) on each type of floor. We also perform cleaning tests with sand and rice separately. This comes out to a minimum of 18 tests per Val robot. We weigh the robot’s dust box before and after each run. From there we can calculate the percentage of debris received per cleaning run and the average amount of soil the machine manages to remove. In addition, we run nonfiction (visual) Pet hair Tests for each robot, on all three floor types.
Our rice-based medium particle test didn’t show enough differentiation between each cleaner, which says they can all handle larger particles without any problem. For fur removal for pet owners, the verdict is anecdotal.
How we test cordless vacuums
We perform straight-line tests across all three floor types.
Putting cordless vacuums through their paces isn’t as complicated as Robot vacuum test Cleaner, but it still takes a lot of time and careful effort to find the best polishing vacuum. We manage every vacuum in Straight line Across three different surfaces (hardwood, low-profile rug, and mid-alternate rug). In all three test beds, the test area is the same length (30.25 inches).
We tested the vacuum’s ability to clean sand and rice.
Just as in robot tests, the width of the test bed is proportional to the width of the vacuum nozzle. We measure this width ourselves. We also use the nozzle width, as well as the flooring type, to calculate the soil density for each test, according to IEC guidelines. We use the same soil types here too; Sand, rice and pet hair. We perform three runs (at least) on each type of floor. We also tested suction power with sand and rice separately. This comes out to a minimum of 18 tests per blank. We weigh the vacuum dust bin before and after each run.
From there, we can calculate the percentage of dirt and debris received per run and the average amount of soil the vacuum manages to remove. Additionally, we perform anecdotal (visual) pet hair tests for each vacuum, on all three floor types to help us choose the best cordless vacuum.
