Here’s a demo of the MSI vacuum robot at Computex 2010 which is currently being held in Taipei (Taiwan) from June 1 to 5, 2010.
The Taiwanese computer and component manufacturer, Micro-Star International (MSI), is coming with a new line of vacuum robots which will compete with Roomba, Samsung
Since not much information about this new robotic vacuum cleaner has been released to the public, and I am in the market for one, I can’t help but wonder how the R500 or any of the models will perform when it comes to pet hair; More specifically about 4" dog hair. I’ve done my homework on the Neato XV-11 and appreciate the fact that aside from emptying the dirt bin, there is little manual intervention necessary when cleaning the machine as opposed to the Roomba 562 pet series, that supposidly needs to have the vacuum’s bristled roller removed and cleaned virtually every time it is used.
I think that a couple of things specifically that would help is the dirt bin capacity and the technology involved in attracting the pet hair instead of “mostly” picking it up with the remainder simply being moved around. Also, the capability of picking up and removing dirt and debris from the home are also relevant factors. I have wood and tile floors, my primary objective with an automatic robotic vacuum cleaner is not to save money but to have a tool that does a thorough and proper job and doesn’t need to have its work retouched very frequently (my definition of very frequently: with daily vacuuming, retouching would occur once per month).
Again, I am very interested in a high quality product where performance and longevity are the focus factors over price.
By the way… I think that the metallic red color is simply beautiful 
Hi Navi,
We too are eagerly awaiting the release of more details on this robot vacuum. So far, not much more information is available beyond what is posted above. We will have to wait and see what kind of brush system it will come with (one?two?), how well it will tackle cleaning (particularly pet hair - an important enough robotic vacuum task nowadays), and the dustbin’s capacity.
One thing on robot vacuum maintenance: Yes, the Roomba brushes do need to be cleaned regularly (almost every time in some cases) due to their effectively picking up a lot of debris with the two counter-rotating brush system. While the Neato seems to not have this problem since it doesn’t have gears but is belt driven, and also doesn’t have a bristle brush, it is still a very good idea to clean the robot (including it’s filter and brushes + bearings) regularly - perhaps every few days, though we suggest at least once a week. Remember, Neato still does have brush bearings that will accumulate debris, though likely slower than a Roomba would. Regularly cleaning the brush and filter will avoid innecessary problems in the future and lengthen the robot’s useful life.
Also, as for the cleaning, even with some of the more effective robot vacuum cleaners, you still may have to retouch your home perhaps every two weeks instead of a month. Perhaps consider doing a touch up here and there at the same time that you bust out the upright or canister vacuum to clean the stairs. It really depends on how much dust/hair/debris/etc you have to clean, the type of cleaning the robot is doing, and also, your personal preference.
Keep an eye on this blog for more details on the MSI and other domestic robots as they become available.
We think the red looks sharp too.
Great article, there are none like this in Romania
