Robots are a little freaky. In Sept. 2020, the International Federation of Robotics reported a record high of 2.7 million industrial robots operating in factories around the world. Fear of robots replacing humans and making our jobs obsolete springs to mind, but when that job is vacuuming, I’m totally on board with it.

I’d heard a lot about the iRobot Roomba vacuums but hadn’t considered purchasing one because I don’t find vacuuming (or sweeping in my case — hardwood floors) particularly taxing. That said, now that I’ve had the opportunity to try one of these robots, I get it. I love being able to leave the house, press “New job” on my smartphone and return home 30 minutes later to a pet-hair-free floor.