Can a Roomba Work / Clean in the Dark? Not really, but...

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Gained early experience with automation technology in the private and industrial sector, can turn his living room into a movie theater with one voice command and is the owner of this website. He is happy to share his accumulated experience with every new article.

This is How Roombas See

Can a Roomba vacuum at night without lights? That would be convenient, of course: Roomba makes its rounds at night when there’s no one in the office, downstairs or in the living room.

Instead of perhaps driving between the feet during the day, it simply drives at night. That way, the robot vacuum won’t get in anyone’s way and won’t be a nuisance because of the noise. The robot doesn’t have eyes, so why shouldn’t it be able to see in the dark?

But in order to answer the question of whether this is technically possible, it must first be clarified how vacuum robots “see”. Because it also depends on the sensors, i.e. the “eyes”, whether a robot vacuum cleaner can drive in absolute darkness.

This is how robotic vacuum cleaners orient themselves:

Gyroscope navigation
Impact sensors (“Bumper”)
Laser system
Infrared
Camera system (sometimes coupled with laser system)

The gyroscope navigation

With gyroscopic navigation, the Robot Vacuum Cleaner creates a “picture” of the room by memorising the distance it has travelled. This is not done optically, i.e. by seeing directly. Instead, the device uses the revolutions of the wheels, the curves and obstacles to create a “picture” of the room.

You can imagine it like this: You blindfold yourself and try to memorize the number of steps to the left, right, front and back until you reach the door, for example. If you memorize the steps and turns exactly, you should be able to walk the same way back and end up at the starting point.

This cannot be called so-called mapping, i.e. the creation of a map of space.

Although there are now much better orientation systems for robot vacuum cleaners, devices with gyroscope orientation often still work relatively thoroughly.

The impact sensors

Bumpers are installed in all vacuum robots, regardless of which other orientation systems they have. The bumper(s) register collisions with obstacles and then let the robot move on in another direction. The impact sensors are designed to protect both furniture and the device from hard collisions.

At the same time, the impact sensor also ensures that the Robot Vacuum Cleaner does not get stuck somewhere.

Older and particularly inexpensive vacuum robots often work exclusively with their bumpers. They don’t drive through rooms in a certain system, but chaotically and randomly. If they encounter an obstacle, they simply turn around.

The laser system and infrared detection

Most modern vacuum robots work with a laser system. A “laser tower” installed on top of the robot scans the surroundings and creates a digital map. This can be viewed via app and integrated into the cleaning schedule.

It is also possible to set up exclusion zones if the Robot Vacuum Cleaner has scanned the surroundings accurately beforehand. Entire floors of buildings can be projected in this way. This also makes operation easier for the user, because the room to be cleaned is simply selected and off you go.

The infrared system works almost exactly the same way. Here, the environment is scanned using infrared instead of laser and a digital image of the room is also generated.

Both laser and infrared do not require light for navigation. The disadvantage is that the laser or infrared tower makes the device higher. This means that the Robot Vacuum Cleaner no longer fits under every cupboard.

The camera system

The Roomba vacuum robots from iRobot work with the vSlam technology. On top of the device is a camera that is aimed at the ceiling.

So a Roomba orients itself by memorizing the ceiling or upward view.

This has the decisive advantage in everyday life that the Roomba models are several centimetres lower than the competition with laser towers. The danger of getting stuck somewhere is also significantly lower due to the non-existent structure.

This is why navigation systems play a major role

If vacuum robots are to drive at night even in absolute darkness, they must be able to orient themselves without light. A disoriented robot vacuum cleaner will either drive chaotically through the area and provide poor cleaning performance.

Or he doesn’t drive off at all or only in reverse and thus doesn’t clean at all because it is simply too dark.

Light is a problem especially for optical sensors. This can sometimes also be experienced during the day when the ground is strongly illuminated by the sun, for example.

The sensors are often blinded and the device suddenly moves backwards or in circles. If the Robot Vacuum Cleaner then enters the shade, it continues to drive normally. Such failures can also occur in the dark.

Which navigation for vacuum robots also works at night?

Robot vacuum cleaners with lasers are best suited for cleaning at night. They create a digital map of the surroundings and orient themselves on this, but not on the brightness, for example.

A robot vacuum cleaner with infrared detection can also vacuum without light. No light is necessary for this either. The Robot Vacuum Cleaner also creates a digital map of the surroundings for orientation.

This is what happens when Roomba is disoriented

Camera systems that rely on contrasts (light/dark) cannot work in the dark. These cameras cannot orient themselves at night without any incidence of light. This can lead to misbehaviour, for example turning in circles, driving backwards, chaotic zigzag driving or similar.

It is also possible that optical sensors do not function properly to prevent accidents. The Robot Vacuum Cleaner will then, for example, only notice obstacles when they collide and not in advance.

In the same way, it is possible that your established exclusion zones or the cleaning zones are not adhered to. If the Robot Vacuum Cleaner is disoriented, it may not be able to find the marked areas. It will then often turn on the spot to find its way around and then turn off in the wrong direction.

Roomba can also have trouble finding its base when walking in the dark. It can take longer and it has to manoeuvre more often to find the right direction. This eats up battery power and takes time.

User reports also show that some Roomba models can’t find the doors at night. Or they’re out in other rooms and can’t find their way back to base. Then the robot vacuum is left somewhere disoriented, waiting to be rescued the next morning.

In the worst case, the blind Roomba drives chaotically through the area and does not recognize landings. If the fall sensors can’t detect landings, falls can occur.

No one really needs that at night when a vacuum cleaner rumbles down the stairs. And it’s not necessarily good for the technology either.

Make preparations for the night cleaning action

If the robot vacuum cleaner is technically suitable for orienting itself in the dark, the environment must also be suitable. If the little helper gets stuck unnoticed on a ledge or a carpet at night, that would be annoying. After all, no one can rescue him in the meantime.

The same applies, of course, to other obstacles or bottlenecks that the Robot Vacuum Cleaner could get into and get stuck.

It is also logical that the robot vacuum works best at night with a timer or cleaning schedule. Who gets up in the middle of the night to quickly switch on the Roomba?

It is therefore practical to create the cleaning schedule in advance. Then the robot vacuum cleaner simply drives off at night at the set time, does its work and then returns to base.

Another point is the base station: the models from iRobot return to the base after cleaning. Even if the dirt bin is full, the robot vacuum stops and returns to the base.

If the Robot Vacuum Cleaner is to clean more than one room at night, it must empty the container in between. Of course, this works best if the base has an automatic suction station, i.e. empties the dirt bin independently. This feature is available in the Roomba i7+, for example.

For the sake of the neighbors, pay attention to the noise!

Before the schedule is put into action at three o’clock in the morning, the neighbors should also be considered for a moment. If there are any who live next door or one floor below, they could possibly be disturbed by the nightly cleaning activities.

A few decibels more or less can make the difference between peace and a neighborhood dispute.

And in the same way, the dog certainly wants to lie peacefully in its place at night instead of being annoyed by a robot vacuum cleaner. So if there are animals present, this should definitely be taken into account with a exclusion zone.

It would also be good if the robot can at least largely drive around without major collisions. Because collisions can be quite loud under certain circumstances if everything around is quiet.

The other thing, of course, is the general noise level when cleaning. The turbo mode for carpets and stronger suction power is once again left out – it should perhaps really only be used in a lonely office building at night.

So, all in all, it can be said: Yes, robot vacuum cleaners can vacuum at night. However, quiet devices are best suited for this. Turbo mode and larger, loud collisions should be avoided.

If everything is really taken into account and no one in your own household or in the neighbourhood feels disturbed by the noise, there is nothing to be said against the robot vacuum cleaner at night.

If possible, do not darken completely

To be on the safe side and make sure that the Robot Vacuum Cleaner can really find its way around at night, here’s a tip: if possible, the room should not be pitch black. This is especially necessary for Roomba, as the camera will not work properly otherwise.

It is enough here not to close the curtains completely or not to let the shutters down completely. This allows some light to come in from outside, for example from the street lighting. This is usually sufficient for vacuum robots.

Another possibility to offer some light in an energy-saving way are small orientation lights with LEDs for the socket or a dimmable dim light. Something like this doesn’t eat up much power and is theoretically controllable by timer. This way you can adjust the lighting to Roomba’s cleaning schedule and the light isn’t on all night.

Especially if there are landings in the rooms you’re cleaning, play it safe and leave some light.

These Roomba vacuum robots can drive at night

Now you’ve learned a lot about the technology of robot vacuum cleaners and know how these little household helpers find their way around their environment. But there is still the crucial question: Which Roomba can drive in the dark?

If there is some remaining lighting, you can actually use all Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners at night. A dim emergency light is sufficient, depending on the size of the room.

However, only those robotic vacuum cleaners that navigate with laser or infrared can find their way in absolute darkness.

This is also where the crucial problem comes in: iRobot works with vSlam technology in its Roomba models, i.e. a camera system for orientation. The camera is absolutely dependent on some light, otherwise the navigation does not work reliably.

As a result, no Roomba robot vacuum is currently suitable for cleaning in complete darkness. However, you can use almost all Roomba models at night with dim lights or blinds that are not fully down.

Conclusion

A Roomba robot vacuum is a welcome helper in everyday life. With individual programming, it always keeps the floors clean – even at night if necessary. However, the iRobot Roomba vacuum robots are not suitable for vacuuming in complete darkness, as they navigate with vSlam, i.e. a camera. The good thing is that for many Roomba models, even a little residual light is enough, such as the 900 series.

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Can a Roomba Work / Clean in the Dark? Not really, but…