Robotic vacuum cleaners; an essential part of modern Indian households
As we move into the 4th Industrial Revolution, technology continues to invade every aspect of our lives. From the way we travel to the way we clean our houses - things have changed for the better. Thanks to the constant developments taking place in the fields of AI (artificial intelligence), machine learning, automation and robotics, many tasks that were previously handled by humans are now being taken over by the machines. Dull, repetitive tasks, in particular, are now taken over by robots.
Pulak Satish Kumar, COO for Puresight System says that House cleaning is one such task that can be entirely automated. Until a decade or two ago, vacuum cleaners were not so common in Indian households. And, the thought of robotic vacuum cleaners sweeping the floors was too far-fetched. However, in 2019, the scenario has changed entirely. With the entire world leaning towards smart homes, India too is welcoming automated devices with open arms. Factors like rising per capita GDP, the growing acceptance of technology and dual income households have led more Indians to opt for smart cleaning products such as the robot vacuum cleaners.
Come to think of it, convenience is undoubtedly the main reason why robotic vacuum cleaners have become so popular in the last couple of years. Cleaning houses is a tedious task that takes up a lot of effort and time. However, thanks to the arrival of automated cleaning devices, the cleaning process is no longer a tiresome and dull chore. Equipped with built-in dirt detecting technology, advanced floor navigating sensors and cameras, these Wi-Fi enabled cleaning robots are allowing users to sit back and enjoy. In today’s fast-paced world, these products have provided some relief to the modern Indian consumers who hardly get any time off their packed schedules to do mundane chores.
Kumar also states that another factor that has played a major role in this regard is the rise of dual-income households in India. With more women stepping outside their homes for jobs, domestic chores are no longer considered their sole responsibility. And, as the number of working women continues to grow up, the sale of robotic cleaning products is also increasing. What’s more, these devices do not require any human assistance while cleaning; an added advantage.
“Further, the recent shift towards smart homes has worked in favour of the robotic cleaning industry. Once limited to tech exhibitions, smart homes are becoming more commonplace as a few real estate companies have started offering smart home projects. That, along with the increasing preference for smart home devices, be it smart lights or voice-activated speakers, explains the sudden boost in the sales of robot vacuum cleaners,” said Kumar.
Apart from metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, the interest towards these smart vacuum cleaners is increasing in tier II and tier III cities of the country as well. India’s robotic cleaning market, therefore, is growing at a steady pace. For instance, E-commerce giant Amazon, which introduced the category ‘robotic home cleaners’ about four years ago, now offers more than 20 brands and over 100 products for sale.
With India undergoing a major digital transformation as well as social and economic changes, the demand for robot vacuum cleaners is expected to grow further in the coming years, concludes Kumar.
