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Panasonic enters the robo-vac game, with the triangular Rulo

Panasonic enters the robo-vac game, with the triangular Rulo
Panasonic's MC-RS1 Rulo
Panasonic's MC-RS1 Rulo
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Panasonic's MC-RS1 Rulo
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Panasonic's MC-RS1 Rulo
It's said to work on a variety of surfaces, including Japanese tatami mats
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It's said to work on a variety of surfaces, including Japanese tatami mats
The Rulo features rotating brushes at its two front corners, which extend out beyond its main body to nab greeblies located in hard-to-each places
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The Rulo features rotating brushes at its two front corners, which extend out beyond its main body to nab greeblies located in hard-to-each places
Those brushes sweep the detritus towards a suction port/roller brush on its underside, which sucks everything into a 0.1-liter (3.4-oz) onboard dust bin
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Those brushes sweep the detritus towards a suction port/roller brush on its underside, which sucks everything into a 0.1-liter (3.4-oz) onboard dust bin
It can run in auto mode, or be manually controlled using a wireless handheld remote
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It can run in auto mode, or be manually controlled using a wireless handheld remote
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Circular robotic vacuum cleaners may be popular, but it's hard for them to reach dust and dirt in the corners of rooms. That's why Panasonic has gone with a triangular shape – a Reuleaux triangle, to be precise – for its new MC-RS1 Rulo robo-vac.

The Rulo features rotating brushes at its two front corners, which extend out beyond its main body to nab greeblies located in hard-to-each places. Those brushes sweep the detritus towards a suction port/roller brush on its underside, which sucks everything into a 0.1-liter (3.4-oz) onboard dust bin. It's said to work on a variety of surfaces, including Japanese tatami mats.

The 3-kg (6.6-lb) vacuum seeks out minute dust particles, navigates rooms and avoids obstacles using infrared and ultrasonic sensors, along with a gyroscope. It can reportedly run in auto mode for about an hour on one 3-hour charge of its lithium-ion battery – it can also be manually controlled, using a wireless handheld remote.

If you want one soon, however, you might have to make a trip to Japan. It's being released there on March 20th, with pricing to be determined by individual retailers.

Source: Panasonic (Japanese) via NewLaunches

View gallery - 5 images
2 comments
2 comments
Deres
Using a Reuleaux triangle is an intelligent innovation. In fact, the main davantage of round robotic vacuum cleaner is to rotate in place being assured not to knck into some obstacles. With this new form, you can rotate on one of the tip of the triangle with a part of this advantage. This means the robot won't be stuck in a corner like a square robot. It can rotate on its rear tip without any risk of collision with the wall to its side and front. This is clever.
Mr T
A 100mL bin is next to useless, they obviously didn't pay much attention to other robot vacs on the market that have steadily had their bin sizes increased, in some cases to close to a litre.