LG to debut AR robot vacuum at CES 2016

The HOM-BOT Turbo+ can be controlled with a smartphone. Smart home security capabilities allow it to detect movement and send updates to users.

LG Electronics will reveal at CES 2016 a robotic vacuum cleaner with augmented reality technology, giving users more control over how their floors are cleaned.

The new AR technology is called Home-Joy and will be integrated into the HOM-BOT Turbo+. Home-Joy allows users to, via a smartphone app, identify areas that need cleaning by pointing the smartphone camera at the floor and tapping on a specific area. The vacuum cleaner will head there and start cleaning that area again, according to LG.

HOM-BOT Turbo+ has proprietary Triple Eye camera sensors that record the area and help the vacuum cleaner determine where it has already cleaned. The model also has smart home features that allow users to see a feed from it on a smartphone, which can also control the machine, and can be set up to send photos to a user's phone when the device detects movement. The robotic vacuum cleaner uses an Li-ion battery that allows it to clean continuously for 40 minutes. LG's announcement, however, does not say what this means for the product's home security features.

Automated vacuums have quickly become one of the most common home robots and it makes sense that manufacturers would be looking at upgrading the capabilities of these devices. Turning the vacuum into a smart home security system that happens to clean could allow consumers to cut down on multiple devices or, possibly, show otherwise late adopters the advantages of certain smart home capabilities. China manufacturers have been in the robotic vacuum cleaners business for a while, but maybe it's time to start connecting these now-ubiquitous robots to all the new smart homes coming online.

See a comparison table of robotic vacuum cleaner suppliers on GlobalSources.com