Not merely a cradle for topping off the Deebot D79's rechargeable battery, the dock operates as a vacuum in its own right. Ecovacs claims the mechanism kicks into action each time the Deebot returns from a cleaning mission and will suck the robot's dustbin clear automatically. The two major upsides of this design approach are you don't get your hands dirty emptying trays into the trash, and the robot is always ready for tidying duty. Of course, the dock itself will need to be emptied periodically. Another interesting twist is that, according to Ecovacs, the dock functions as a traditional canister vacuum as well that detaches from the charging station. Combined with hoses and other accessories this appliance is capable of tackling messes above floor level, say on bookshelves, sofas and countertops. All this sounds compelling, but it isn't clear just how well the dock empties the Deebot's dustbin. I imagine that dirt will build up in the long run and require some hands-on cleaning eventually. Whether this happens every 5, 10 or 20 times the machine completes a cycle will be crucial to this product's success.

Specification:

Product: 

• Country: USA 
• Company: Ecovacs Robotics