More robots are heading to the home, and you only probably have cleaning to thank. While science fiction paints a future where technology is doing our bidding, driving us around, making our food, and generally letting us live our lives without the messy chores, the action that’s affecting first is that of cleaning.
The march (or roll) of the robot cleaner has big seriously sizeable over the past couple of years, and now that cleaners can begin to go up small steps and not hurtle themselves off your porch, they’re beginning to be properly trustworthy.
You still might need a stick vacuum for big messes, but a robot vacuum can begin to handle the day-to-day or slightly less regular maintenance, making life easier overall.
Last year saw some great developments on that front, and one really impressed, with the Narwal Flow largely coming out of nowhere to deliver a smart robotic vacuum that not only dealt with gunk and debris, but mopped like nothing else.
This year, the gadget is back for round two, as Narwal sets a release date of July for some of what it revealed at CES earlier in the year.
The latest generation has a rather unsurprising name of “Flow 2”, and yet a focus on delivering better battery life to keep the robot doing its thing for longer in your home, and for the lifespan of the gadget.
Long-term battery is a problem for lots of areas, including your phone and potentially an electric vehicle you might be considering, so it makes sense for Narwal to at least be thinking of it, especially when robo-vacs are often pricey additions.
In the Flow 2, Narwal is marrying a large 7000mAh battery with an AI-based battery optimisation system designed to keep the performance consistent, but also monitor the health over a long period of time.
While it hasn’t gone to lengths to suggest the battery will keep on keepin’ on for a decade, it does suggest the system will alert you as to how your battery is doing, which is more than we can say for some other devices.
Elsewhere, Narwal has made changes to the vacuum suction, increasing it to 31,000 Pascal units, making it stronger, while the mopping system now works at 60 degrees Celsius and more force, essentially melting grime. Cleaning that mop is also improving, with a 100 degree system, also covering tank and scraper to keep things odour-free.
There are also changes to how the vacuum detects parts of your home, with 3D mapping now there, a new visual language model to identify an unlimited number of objects, and cleaning profiles for pets and babies, changing the suction levels to understand the different types of cleaning and floor types.
One thing hasn’t changed, and that’s the dust bag, with this using replaceable dust bags. While we’d prefer a bagless system, given it’s often easier and stops bags from being a consumable you need, bags are a part of the Flow 2 as they were the first Flow.
However, Narwal has made changes to the tank system, which is now easier to lift and part of the company’s new approach to aesthetics, which eases up on the plastic and instead opts for a more premium glass front.
Like the previous model, the Narwal Flow 2 isn’t necessarily an inexpensive robotic vacuum, set to land in Australia late-June to early-July for $2999 for a “complete” model with accessories, though it will be released alongside a standard Flow 2 for a little less.
