Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The Winbot at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.The robots at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show fell largely into two categories: floor cleaners and toys. But there was an exception.
That was a robot taken to new heights - literally. It is the Winbot 7 Series from Ecovacs, and this robot does do windows.
The Winbot works much like any of the floor cleaning robots, only it works on vertical surfaces. Stick it outside on your window glass and it figures out the size of your window, then travels in a zigzag pattern to clean the surface.
The Winbot has to be plugged into an electricl outlet that feeds a powerful vacuum motor that keeps it stuck to the glass as it creeps around. There is a safety tether to keep the Winbot from bombing pedestrians below if it were to lose power. If the Winbot encounters a problem it sounds an alarm.
The Winbot has a damp cleaning pad on its leading edge that is followed by a squeegee and a drying pad in back. The reusable pads could require machine washing after a single large dirty window, but more typically the company said they needed a wash every few months.
The price of replacement parts and cleaning solution have not been yet determined. The Winbot becomes available in April at a list price of $200 for the 710 model that cleans framed windows, and $300 for the 730 model that cleans framed and frameless windows.
They will be available through the Ecovacs Web site.
