With technology constantly evolving, we have seen humans being replaced by machines. It all started to blow out of profession after the invention of the microprocessor. The little silicon chip can be programmed as far as humans can think. Though the technology has managed to cut down on human requirements for specific jobs, it definitely can do much more than a human can. Keyword—multitasking. Humans can multitask, but have a limit. Here is whether a robot can probably come into the picture to help humans. Robots can now take on regular daily tasks and offload humans to spend time doing other important work. Bet it at home or office, a restaurant or a factory, robots have taken up the heavy and boring task to perfection and speed.
Talking about uses of robots at home, we are already using many of them today. Yes, we mean you are using them every day in your house. A robot does not need to look like those you see on TV—human like, with arms, legs, a head, etc. a robot is an electronic gadget that is programmed to do something that it is told to do. A washing machine or a dishwasher is a perfect example of a domestic robot—aka household appliance. They are programmed to wash. From cleaning to draining and drying, they can also be programmed to work at time intervals. Microwaves, water purifiers, water heaters, ovens, refrigerators, and many such intelligent home appliances are semi-robots in some way or the other.
However, when it comes to cleaning your house, you either have to do it the ‘human’ way or with a combination of human + machine. So out comes the broom or the vacuum cleaner, and puff goes your dust and energy. What’s next, mopping the floor! Apart from using up your energy, you also end up losing precious time, which you could productively use at other work around the house or simply spend it with your family. To avoid house cleaning yourself, you employ help and the maid takes over.
Well, replacing the maid for house cleaning is also what another robot can do. Floor cleaning robots have been around for a while and they are just getting better by the day. Floor cleaning robots are available in various types—basic to advanced. While the basic can help you simply vacuum the house, advanced ones can go ahead with vacuuming, mopping and even getting rid of stubborn stains and alike—all at the press of a button.
The Redhawk is one such floor cleaning robot that is marketed by Milagrow in India. Milagrow is a two-year-old startup in India which deals with robotic cleaners. We managed to check out the entry-level model from Milagrow—the Redhawk 3.0. The Redhawk is in its third update and has improved with rigorous testing and feedback from its customers.
If you tell your friends that you have a robot to clean your floor, they may either not believe you or would think you are some rich dude who has the excess money to spend on geeky stuff. Well, the Redhawk 3.0 is a very simple robot designed to vacuum your floor and mildly mop up simultaneously. The robot looks just like any bathroom weighing scale found in the store. The shape and size of the Redhawk is similar to that weighing scale. In fact, your unsuspecting friends or family members could mistake it for a weighing scale and hop on it too. So be careful with the product!
Design and features: The Redhawk has the colour from its name—all cherry red and glossy. Built with a strong and sturdy, round plastic chassis, the Redhawk is measures just 16cm in height, 35cm in diameter and weighs around 3.5Kg. The chassis consists of three parts—the main body which houses the entire electronics, the front bumper and the rear dust chamber.
The top features the main LED display which has the necessary basic information panel for the user. You can select the modes with the control panel’s four buttons on it. The front has the bumper mounted, which incorporates infrared sensors and some springs. The sensors are to detect dead ends and obstacles and the bumper is provided so that it wouldn’t damage the product or the object it bumps into.
On the rear side you will find the dust chamber, which houses the main vacuum pump assembly along with a few replaceable filters and a 1 liter dust capacity bin. Milagrow claims this one to be the only robot with the largest dust collection chamber in the segment.
On the bottom side you will find the wheels, the main cleaning brush, a corner cleaning brush, a mop attachment, a UV lamp and some more sensors that can detect staircases and heights. The wheels have a rubber padding to allow it to have a proper grip on smooth floors and carpets.
Apart from the main cleaner robot, the Redhawk also bundles along a charging dock, a charger, a virtual wall pod, a remote, a brush, a small screwdriver and a set of filters and mops.
Setting up the robot for use is simple, but you won’t need to do it yourself. Milagrow’s sales and service personnel will have a complete demonstration and setup done for you at the time of purchase. All you need to do is simply use the remote or time the robot to clean your house at specific intervals.
The Redhawk runs on a 2000mAh rechargeable battery that is user replaceable and easily available. The battery on this unit will last for around 90 minutes of continuous usage till it needs to be recharged again. The Redhawk will clean your floor and when the battery is low, it will switch to reserve mode and start hunting for the charger on its own. After locating the charging station, it automatically rests itself till the batteries are full. This saves you the additional time and efforts of charging the robot yourself.
RedHawk comes with features like Robotic Stair and Fall Sensing, Patented Robotic Obstacle or Collision Sensing, Robotic Virtual Wall Detection, Patented Robotic Effective-Auto-Self Recharge, Robotic Gyro Sensors, Robotic Accelerometer Sensors, Robotic Disentanglement, Cleans All Floors & Most Carpets, Pet Hair Removal, Cleaning Under Heavy Beds and Furniture due to its Compact and Slim Design, Doorsill crossing & Carpet Climbing Ability, Self Diagnosis, Automatic Speed Adjuster.
The Redhawk consists of powerful electronics and different programmed software. Sensors embedded in front and underneath the unit help to avoid collisions and falling over the steps or the edge of the cleaning platform. The UV lamp helps disinfect/sanitize the floor while in operation. The purpose of ultraviolet lights is to kill organic matter, such as bacteria, mold, and viruses. The US Environmental Protection Agency refers to them as Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation Cleaners. The wheels are individually controlled for better and precise movement in different directions. Sensors on the bottom also detect if the unit has been lifted off the floor and immediately stop the cleaning process.
The front (underneath) has a long bristle brush that helps clean corners and also pulls in the dirt towards the centre brush which sucks up everything in its path and passes it to the dust bin. This brush rotates anti-clockwise, but also has detection in place if it manages to entangle string pieces, ropes or excessive hair. Milagrow has provided the cleaning kit (inclusive of a brush and a small screwdriver) so that you can clean out the brushes and bin in regular intervals. The dust bin uses a series of filters for cleaning the dust and filtering the air that comes out of the unit. The filters are not the usual and are High-Efficiency Particulate Air or HEPA air filters. These were originally developed by the US Atomic Energy Commission to capture radioactive dust pollen. HEPA filtration is important for medical patients or for whomsoever very pure air is sought as they trap most particulate matter and bacteria, viruses etc. To qualify as HEPA an air filter must remove 99.97% of all particulate matter greater than 0.3 micrometer from the air that passes through. This will ensure that the air it picks up with the dust will also clean it before releasing it back into the air.
You can set the robot to clean around your house with six different modes ranging between random, zigzag, spot, wall-to-wall and spiral. Each mode includes cleaning time of 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 100 minutes. You can use the Redhawk for extremely dusty floors since it has a sufficiently large dust collection bin. The cleaner can be used efficiently on flat surfaces and carpets. However, it has its own limitations—concrete, tiles, glass, linoleum, wood and marble floors are well taken care of. Carpets can also be tackled, but not fluffy or ones with tassels. The RedHawk can take care of dry and dusty floors with great ease. You can use it in slightly wet areas, but we would not recommend it as it could ruin the vacuum motor and mess with the dust bin. The cleaner has slight wet mopping option too. it comes with a small plate which can be attached to the bottom, between the wheels. The plate has a cleaning microfiber mop, which can be dampened and attached using the Velcro strips. When the robot vacuums the floor, the mop wet cleans it while moving around. This mop can be easily removes, washed and reused.
The RedHawk can cover a maximum area of around 2500sqft on a single full charge. The battery can last around 100 minutes, excluding 15% reserve for finding the charging base. The charging base needs to be kept in the same room the robot works in. The charging base needs to be kept stationary, against a firm wall and in good sight of the robot. Since the robot works in infrared sensors, it requires line of sight to locate the charging station and return to it. If the robot does not find the charging station, it will keep moving around the house till it finds it. The charging station is a simple pod with some more intelligent electronics inside. It has an LCD display which can be programmed to preset cleaning modes and intervals on the robot. You can set it to clean the house at certain times of the day and alternatively set it to continuous cleaning mode. The charging station needs to be connected to the mains at all times you need to use the robot.
The RedHawk can also be controlled by the IR remote supplied with it. When using the remote, you can control it to mode according to your preferred directions and speed. You can change modes and also power the unit on or off. Using the manual mode comes in handy when you know the floor is dirty in a particular zone or if you want to use the robot to move in certain directions.
The RedHawk has another unit that comes in the box—the virtual wall. This is a small electronic device that houses a simple infrared transmitter and a battery. The sensor, when switched on, creates a virtual wall, or barrier for the RedHawk. For example, you can place the unit in the centre of the room and the RedHawk will not enter the other half because the virtual wall is now in place. This way, you can set the RedHawk to only clean a particular area, or avoid it from entering other rooms or zones.
Performance: The Redhawk 3.0 is a handy floor cleaner and we would recommend it for everyone who needs to save on time in floor cleaning. Bachelors and working couples can find it handy. The RedHawk can work for you while you spend time with other chores or relaxing. The scheduling mode also helps you keep the house clean when you are not at home, or at night. We recommend it for small houses or large houses with small rooms. Larger rooms will take a longer time to clean, though the unit can clean around 2500sqft.
On the cleaning front, we would say it does a good job—but not a perfect one. Those with cleanliness issues should keep away from this one and opt for higher-end models that can do a better job. The RedHawk 3.0 is for dusty floors and not for wet ones. It does not incorporate a mapping method to clean the floor. What we mean is that the RedHawk will randomly clean the house on its own. It does not know what has been cleaned and which areas are still to be done. It randomly chooses its own path and cleans around. So you may find that some areas are still left unclean and others are squeaky clean. If you want intelligent ones, you would have to opt for a high-end model, but for a higher price.
The RedHawk is a bit noisy—the vacuum cleaner is the main culprit, but usually all vacuum cleaners are noisy. So we didn’t have much of a grudge against that point. However, Milagrow has some quieter models too.
The RedHawk does a fair job when it comes to cleaning and moving around the house. Avoiding obstacles like walls, furniture, corners, steps, humans and pets is perfect. However, we did find that certain areas which have a low elevation—like around an inch or so, the unit’s sensors could not detect it and it would get stuck there. Another issue is the exercise of lifting a few things from its path. The brushes can entangle stuff that is loose. So curtain ends, doormats, and other things that could affect its performance have to go off the floor.
Cleaning around the corners is done nicely, but it takes a little extra time. The sensors come into play to learn the type of obstacle in front of it and then plan a route. We did find out that the robot could not clean sharp corners. There is no way it could reach as the sensors would just not allow it to go close and also the round body comes in play.
Though the robot can clean most of the dust and dirt from the floors, we recommend that clean out the hair or loose threads that could be found on the floor. This will simply help you avoid manually cleaning the wheels and brushes thereafter. The RedHawk can lift usual dust off the floor. Don’t expect it to lift larger items like pebbles, marbles, small toys or coins. The sensors on the bottom help in detecting extra dirt and put the robot into spot cleaning mode for thorough cleaning.
Verdict: The RedHawk is a must-buy for those who want to get floor cleaning off their chores list. Priced at Rs 25,990, the robot would seem a little expensive as an investment as against a conventional vacuum cleaner. But look at it in a way that you will recover the cost of the investment in around 6-8 months by saving on the maid’s salary. Though the unit may not be a thorough cleaner, it gets almost 90% of the work out of your hands. All that would be left is to clean the robot once a week (at least) and clean the corners that it cannot manage. You can buy the RedHawk from online shopping websites as well as from the Milagrow website.
A bit about the other Floor Cleaning Robots:
RedHawk 3.0 (Rs 25,990) - is recommended for very dusty conditions as it has the world's largest 1 litre bagless dustbin and the world's largest main brush. This is the most rugged model and will clean up almost any kind of debris.
BlackCat 3.0 (Rs 26,990) - is the most silent robot with the largest battery backup of 130 minutes and covers 3500 sq. ft. in a single charge. This product is very good with pet hairs and especially great for carpets. It also has extra obstacle detection sensors, so it doesn't even bump into your furniture, it comes very close to the furniture and then retracts and finds a path around the obstacle
AguaBot 4.0 (Rs 29,990) - is our latest Floor Cleaning Robot with full wet mopping. It comes with a water tank + wet mop attachment. You can put any liquid of your choice in the water tank: water, soap water, dettol, lizol etc. and this water will continuously drip onto the wet mop. So the Aguabot will do brooming, vacuuming, UV disinfection and wet mopping simultaneously in one motion.
