It looks like 2015 might end up being the year of the smart robot vacuum. We've already seen internet-connected models from iRobot and Neato, but LG has just announced what could be the coolest robot vac feature for its new Hom-bot Turbo+: augmented reality. The new Hom-bot is headlining LG's updated CordZero line of cordless vacuums, which will debut in just a few weeks at CES 2016. Hom-bot takes advantage of augmented reality through its companion smartphone app. Using your phone's camera, you can tap on areas of the room that you want the robot to clean, and it will get to work. The robot can also use its built-in camera for "Home-Guard" and "Home-View" features. Home-Guard has the robot send you photos of the room when it detects movement, essentially acting as a security camera on wheels. Samsung announced a similar feature for its own robot vacuum last year, but it's nice to see the functionality coming to competing models. Home-View lets you remotely control the robot through a live video feed from its built-in camera.

It's unclear if you can actually drive it around like the Neato Botvac Connected, or simply watch it work as you issue commands from the app. Like most of the competition, the Hom-bot Turbo+ knows how to avoid obstacles thanks to its "Robonavi" system, and knows where it has already cleaned thanks to its Triple Eye camera. While the Hom-bot is the star of the lineup, the CordZero line also includes three other vacuums—the CordZero Bedding Cleaner, CordZero Canister, and 2-in-1 CordZero Handstick. LG's announcement was short on details about these vacuums aside from their battery and/or suction improvements. Still, we'll definitely keep an eye on the Handstick to see how it compares to the contestants in our 2015 stick vac roundup. Buy now for $845.99 at Amazon LG HOM-BOT 3.0 LrV790R Robot Vacuum LG's robot vacuum also has a "Learning Function" that allows HOM-BOT to recognize the areas it has cleaned before, so it remembers the best cleaning path to take and what obstacles might be standing in its way.

LG’s HOM-BOT 3.0 robot vacuum features a square design and long side brushes to better clean corners, wall edges and small areas. It offers seven cleaning modes, including everything from Zig-Zag for large areas with few obstacles to Smart Turbo that automatically adjusts to floor and carpet surfaces and cleans with turbo-charged performance. A main brush loosens and sweeps dirt and dust throughout the home, while side brushes clean corners and edges. henry vacuum cleaner pet hairAnd at just 3 inches tall, it’s slim enough to fit under most furniture with ease.robot vacuum cleaner elite And with two cameras, one mount on the top and bottom, the HOM-BOT maps the area around your home as it cleans, calculating optimal cleaning paths 50 times each second to make sure it doesn’t miss a spot. portable car vacuum cleaner singapore

The top camera takes as many as 30 images every second while the optical sensor on the bottom reads the surface up to 2,000 times per second for mapping and location purposes. HOM-BOT manages to do all this cleaning quietly at a low 50dB, thanks to its insulation that absorbs vibrations and reduces noise. LG’s robot vacuum also has a “Learning Function” that allows HOM-BOT to recognize the areas it has cleaned before, so it remembers the best cleaning path to take and what obstacles might be standing in its way. Users can control when they want the HOM-BOT to clean, whether you’re home or not. Schedule HOM-BOT 2, 6 or 12 hours ahead of time so it can clean while you’re at work. Voice Alerts will let you know when the cleaning has been completed, when the battery is being recharged or the dust bin needs emptying, and many more. LG HOM-BOT Square has 120 words in its memory. If robot vacuums get much smarter, they'll soon be telling us how best to clean the house rather than vice versa.

LG's latest HOM-BOT model adds a handy augmented-reality control mode to its existing high-tech features. Instead of selecting an area on an overhead map or driving the robot remotely to an area of the house that needs a touch-up, you can just open up the camera in the associated LG smartphone app and tap the spot in an ordinary view of the room. The vacuum will determine where you and your phone are and where you've instructed it to go, and be on its way. Related: Dyson Brings Its High-End 360 Eye Robot Vacuum to the U.S. It's a handy upgrade to a device that's already almost creepily advanced. The HOM-BOT can be told to patrol the house while you're away, not just picking up dust and dander, but sending an alert if it detects motion. And if you prefer a manual touch to your vacuuming, you can always take over and pilot the robot around like a remote control car. There's no price or availability yet for the U.S., but LG's smart home gear should be on show at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas in January, so we can expect to hear more then.

Should you let a security robot patrol your home? LG's new "augmented reality" vac pulls double duty as a robotic rent-a-cop. Are we ready for autonomous home security? The Roomba started all this. iRobot's flagship vacuum kickstarted the whole consumer robotics movement and got people used to the idea of a motorized autonomous presence tooling around the house. (Your grandma's power scooter notwithstanding.)It would be fitting, then, if the first robotic security guard you took home could trace its lineage to a vacuum cleaner.That scenario just got a little more likely. On display at CES 2016 is a new robotic vacuum from LG. The HOM-BOT Turbo+ employs what LG is calling augmented reality technology. The robot interfaces with your smartphone in some unique ways. To issue instructions to the vacuum, you can designate areas that need cleaning via your phone's camera. Tap on any part of the room in the image and the HOM-BOT Turbo+ will go there and do its thing.At some point in the development process LG's engineers must have realized that a vac that tools around your house, interfaces with your smart phone, and has motion sensors and onboard cameras could pull double duty as a remote security guard.

I can envision that moment clearly: "Break out the trademark stamp, boys, I just thought of something!" (Except, you know, in Korean.)Using the front-facing camera, the bot's "Home-View" feature transmits a real-time feed to smartphones, enabling users to remotely control their vacuum from anywhere in the world. The "Home-Guard" feature gives users extra security and peace of mind by sending photos to a paired smartphone when the HOM-BOT Turbo+ senses movement. Your own private security patrol.It's not the first time we've seen security bots. A California company called Robotex makes a lineup of bots to thwart burglars, though these are primarily marketed as solutions for office buildings.Robot kits like the Devastator, which can run a LINUX OS, offer DIY enthusiasts the perfect platform to build out a home patrol bot. But LG's security-capable bot does feel like the first big release in the brand new roving home security category. It's certainly not going to be the last. Social robots like Jibo, Buddy, and Alpha 2 are due for release this year.