Gizmos & Gadgets: A Robot to Wash Your Windows

I hate doing windows and our house has lots of them. That's why when I read in the New York Times about a robot that can do the job for me I was intrigued.

Meet the WINBOT W730. It has the smarts to clean any window surface from framed to frameless including mirrors, shower doors, and glass partitions. Squirt some cleaning fluid on its cleaning pad. Switch it on. Place it on a window and let it go. In apartments and above ground glassed surfaces you can anchor the WINBOT with a safety pod, a suction device that harnesses the robot to the glass surface falling securing it against an accidental loss of suction.

WINBOT cleans using a 3-stage process.

1. Spray the front cleaning pad with a solution.
2. Place the WINBOT on the window and watch its cleaning pad, made from high absorption fibers, loosens and absorbs dirt. The built-in squeegee removes the remaining water and dirt from the glass.
3. Let the built-in drying pad on WINBOT complete the job.

WINBOT has the smarts to size up any window and program itself to cover the entire glass area quickly. How does it stay on a vertical surface? WINBOT contains an internal vacuum pump which generates just enough suction to keep it secured to the glass while remaining mobile. The suction technology includes two rings. If one senses a loss of suction it directs the WINBOT to change direction to ensure it stays on the glass.

WINBOT lets you know when it's working and when it's not using both visual flashes and alarms. It even comes with a remote control if you want to take over although it is quite happy to work on its own.

Noise levels on WINBOT do not exceed 55 decibels. Bumpers and a soft edging material ensure that when it encounters a frame it leaves no marks.

WINBOT is a product of ECOVACS, a company located in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. The company also makes robotic vacuum cleaners, air filters and the FAMIBOT, a combination smoke detector, air filter, home security, communication hub and multimedia centre.

WINBOT comes with a complete set of accessories including a power adapter, extension cord, professional cleaning solution, cleaning pads, the safety pod, the remote control and a replacement suction ring should the factory installed one get torn or begin to lose traction.

Two WINBOT models will be on the market this spring, The W710 model for cleaning framed windows will be priced around $300. The W730 capable of cleaning both framed and frameless window surfaces is priced at around $400.