Samsung's Navibot S Gives Roomba a Run for its Money

Samsung updates its Navibot line with the Android-controlled Navibot S.

It can be hard to believe that just a few years ago all that our cell phones were good for were making calls and sending text messages. Nowadays we can control almost anything with our smartphones, like our washing and drying machines for example. Well since we can clean our clothes with our Android phones, it only makes sense that we can clean our floors with one as well. In addition to their WiFi-enabled washing and drying machines, Samsung also brought its WiFi-capable vacuum robot to CES. Check out Cnet's video to see the NaviBot S in action:

With the latest update to Samsung's NaviBot robotic vacuum cleaner line, users will be able to control the bot with the exact same app that lets them control the company's other WiFi-compatible devices. Users will still be able to control the bot with a traditional remote control, but the new WiFi enabled NaviBot S lets you fire up the robot from just about anywhere. Its updated battery gives approximately 100 minutes of cleaning on a single three hour charge.

In addition to the added WiFi capability, the NaviBot received some updates in efficiency as well. NaviBot S now uses Visionary Mapping Plus, a technology that involves a top-mounted camera that analyzes cleaning data to find and remember the most efficient cleaning route to and from its charging dock. Samsung's latest vacuum-bot is also the first to feature a self-cleaning dust bin. NaviBot S detects when its dust bin is full, automatically dumps it at the dock and jumps right back to cleaning. No official word on pricing or availability just yet, but we can expect to hear more from Samsung soon.