Great little robot, worried about the robot uprising
591732
I originally gave this a bad review for its performance on hard surfaces.  I have had to edit the review and change it from a bad review to a good review.  Why?  The problem on hard surfaces was because I wasn't properly clearing it out after use and there was something jammed in there, blocking it.

The problem was human error, not robot error.

Now that it is properly cleared, it picks up everything that it needs to pick up.  It's a great little robot which keeps my space dust-free with almost no effort on my part.

Why four stars instead of five?  Because this is a very dumb robot, for all its AI.  It has no navigation abilities.  It doesn't make a map of the room.  It goes in pre-set patterns, like spirals and edge-following.  That is effective.  It gets the job done.  But to really earn five stars, this little robot needs to go to the next level, which means it needs to make a map of the space it is cleaning and clean in a more organized way.  Like the other reviewers, at this price point I would expect it to have wifi connectivity and some type of web-based control or monitoring.

I'm sure this is coming.  Google is prototyping self-driving cars, and some of the competitors for this robot already do map a room.  Certainly iRobot is working on more advanced features.  Until then, this robot gets 4 stars, and I'm happy with it.

Stay alert for the robot uprising!
1753933
My boy and I have been pleased with this toy. After a couple of transformations, transformation time in either direction is less than 5 minutes: the same enjoyment as a quick 100-piece puzzle. The toy is solid. But, like any toy, it has its flaws. The material flaw so far: Without adult care, the side panels (truck mode) that hang off of Optimus' back (robot mode) will break. The break happens when prying the side panels from the truck, when beginning to transform from truck mode to robot mode. The cause: the connection that keeps the side panels in position (truck mode) is too tight.
4134396
Pretty good but needs attention - This little robot does an excellent job of cleaning but it needs its water reseviour refilled about once an hour when used for wet mopping but the battery power lasts for about 2 hours so you have to go stop it, pull the little pad holder and refill it. It does, (very slowly) an excellent job of cleaning our wood floor, which is the pre-finished type. This means it has little grooves between the boards. The robot handles this with no problem. It does a good job on the edges and generally (but not always), recognizes spaces like hallways or narrow areas between cabinets in kitchens. Occasionally it will become confused or stuck. The little cube with a blue light that helps it navigate is still a mystery and I don't really see it doing anything.  For those of you that have the iRobot vacuum this little guy does not navigate as efficiently and is much slower.

Pros: Does a good job!  Runs very quietly  Gets the edges and around chair legs.

Cons: Needs a refill every hour on wet mop. Charger stand seems to be an afterthought and covers carry handle. Gets itself in trouble now and then.
1484553
Mostly satisfied with my first serious household robot (Saeco Giro doesn't count I think). Bought iClebo Arte 5 months ago and no regrets. My 2 person home is a single level 2000sqf 3 room apartment with a mix of marble and parquet floor, and some carpets and rugs. Moving on from wrist-breaker handheld Dyson. I researched a little before buying this, iRobot and other mainstream European brands. Settled for iClebo for its optical sensor intelligence. I followed it around the first few days just to observe its behavior. Quite clever, especially when manuevering around planter and chairs with legs. It is certainly quite efficient at "pathfinding" and rarely go over the same space unnecessarily. Particularly impressive when asked to return to base from other "wifi-issue" rooms with thick walls and auto-pilot style precision when docking to base. Very clever at not falling over cliff edges too. Also like the way it does a "general round", before coming back for a quick round of final detailed corner jobs. My sister with an iRobot also says iClebo is quieter.

Not perfect for sure, occasionally need to rescue it from getting stuck on computer spaghetti cables or unwashed laundry pile on the floor, but this applies for all vacuum robots. When its beeps for help, all I need to do is switch it off, pick it up, put it somewhere open, and restart it again and it will continue. Next day/ cycle it will still remember its program. I also programmed it to not use the otherwise superb feature of carpet/ door ledge climbing, as the salesperson advised, to avoid wearing out its wheels.

Cleaning wise it's also straight forward, but there are multiple parts where hair needs to be removed frequently. Parts replacement situation still untested but salesperson did warn against homes with many carpets and leather sofas with short legs may cause wheels issue (free for first year in my case). So unless you have a car better get a on-site after sales service deal. So far so good though, only one phone call troubleshooting needed.

No more hair all over the place and typical kitchen floor debris mess, floor feels clean to bare feet. Hardly touch my handheld Dyson now except for the occasional corner jobs.  All in all I expect it to continue to buzz around for another 2 years.

[8 Jan 2016] UPDATE: it's still working so I come back and added 1 more star to 5 stars. Because it does a good enough job I only let it run alternate days; I use the remote, press 'base', then it will just stop then find its way back to base. So far there's been one incident of whiskers stuck on itself. I didn't know why so called the on-site service, and he dismantled the whisker bit got rid of some stuck hair/threads screw it back and all worked again. Like many vaccum robot owners we have named it. :)
3514847
Have had 4 i roomba robots.  All have died within 1-2 years.  run the roomba 589 then run the neeato xv21. the neato had so much  trash in it after coming behind the roomba that i will not by another roomba until they get a better design.  The aerovac  redesign is a step in the right direction for them.  The Neato robot cleans back and forth and does a great job.  It is a vacuum robot whereas the roomba is sadly- a sweeper.  Customer service is superior with the Neato.  The Roomba  will not go back to the dock and I spoke with a rep WHO WAS IN INDIA,  very NOT helpful as they usually are.  The robot was less than 30 days old.
3449670
Electronics works great. However, a few minor issues take away from the full experience. For example,
 . The nylon standoffs to that go between the shield and chassis won't fit in one of the corners; had to be filed flat on two sides make it fit.
 . Chassis where the servos and wheels connect was not completely perpendicular. Had to be manually twited/aligned.
 . Lower quality servo motors that make a lot of noise. Also, one motor had extra friction compared to other.
Apart from above problems, overall, the kit is working out as a great initiation for my son to dabble into robotics. Endless fun! I would recommend investing in a higher quality servos (e.g. http://www.amazon.com/RioRand-MG995-Metal-Speed-Torque/dp/B00M8TXSBO/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1414539118&sr=1-2&keywords=servo+motor+metal+gears).
4169645
I love the Roomba 530. There's one big problem with user experience for me right now.  The side brush (one that has 5 or 6 legs sticking out) started to shed legs. After a month, I am down to two legs!

I tried iRobot online store and the replacement side brush is on back order.  I called customer support and they offer to send replacement, except they don't have any!

So, if I use the Roomba 530 a lot now, it'll shed all the side legs.  The side brush is very important because it sweeps trash to the front of the robot.

It seems iRobot didn't anticipate this.  Lots of people are unable to get this critical part for replacement. Plus, it shouldn't break this easily anyway.
3311397
This is an awesome little robot arm. I'm glad I bought one for myself and one for my nephew.
My only compliant is the robot needs batteries to operate,or you need a duel power supply.
658854
Even with some scratch on it, the robot is working fine. Good for an automatic second vacuum cleaner but still need the big manual one once a week. Construction is robust, even this model is pretty smart for finding the room size.
3874511
This is a wonderful robot, and as advertised. This is a VERY kid friendly bot. I recommend that users have some experience in Japanese (Beginner Level). There is not much support for this Robot besides the many Japanese instructions that it provides. There is a Robi Jr setup video (search "initial settings of Robi jr") on youtube that is helpful upto the Time. This Robot sits in a little over 8" - of standard inches. Robi Jr takes 4x AAA in the back, but is not very wasteful. The Robot was delivered within a week of my order FROM Japan. I love my little Robi Jr. I got the bot to add to my grand collection of Robots. I found a nice comfy spot on my desk, and the "fat little baby" looks so lively. The bot "brightens" my whole desk! I think Robi Jr. is good to have. It has encouraged me to learn more Japanese. I most definitely feel it was worth the price from my vast experience. I THANK Tomotaka Takahashi for his baby ARIGATO.
4932302
I will probably have to order more in a few months, I see these getting lost all over the house, but my grandson loves the robot!
2708114
A great piece. A very basic robot, but not in a bad way. Just an extremely well executed robot figure of a clean classic design. The articulation is phenomenal, being basically the same frame as Might Gain. The paint is crisp and detailed. The proportions are great. The included accessories are his baton, his blaster and his enhanced rifle.

Complaints or concerns are minimal. This is an adult targeted collectors figure, not a child's toy. As such there are some brittle fragile pieces such as the head crest and police light bars that will not survive a minute of child's play. There is a slight glitch where if you fully hyper extend the double jointed knees one of the sliding panels lay get hung up when you go to straighten it. I few seconds fiddling fixes it. Also beware that the bottom tip of the jet pack touches the back of the hips. This may cause paint chipping at this point if not carefull when moving the waist joint. Not a problem just something to be aware of.

My only other complaint will seem really petty. J Decker is a hair too big. He might be the absolute tallest of the SRC's. He is certainly a bit taller than the other Brave Robots. Even GaoGaiGar and GaoFighGar. (Actually I lie looking at him on the shelf the newer version Mazinkaiser and Mazinkaiser SKL are taller.)
1651458
No, we're not.  I mean, most of the stuff they list isn't going to happen in our life time or even mankind's life time.  Or there isn't really anything we can do about it anyway, so why worry.  As for the nuclear missiles, germ warfare and global warning, if we don't stop it now we deserve to die anyway.  Lots of fun to watch.  I enjoyed the part about artificial intelligence the most.  Go ROBOTS!
2269782
I bought a grillbot maybe one or two years ago, after seeing it on TV: I never do that, but this thing seemed to be just what my wife wanted: she had just complained bitterly about having to clean the grill. She's been very happy with it until recently, when one of the motors failed: that this happened was not easy to see because our trusty grillbot continued to clean with only two of the three brushes active: they become dirty all over, while the one with the faulty motor remained mostly clean. I took the think apart, unbolting the 6 metric cap screws from the top and folding it over. The wires inside are long enough that this is not a problem. I verified that the problem was not the voltage on the motor: this has to vary from -7V to +7V depending on how the motor turns. So, the motor broke. I looked for a replacement motor on the web, but could not find one in the one place that sells replacement parts for robots. Instead, the fabulously helpful grillbot people in their customer service department (Kelly) send me a whole motor and the associated reduction gear, within a day and for free. Once I put it in it works like a charm again.

Some reviews here complain about motors that fail. I can see why: it's a fairly primitive design, with graphite brushes that commute the current locally, on really flimsy contacts. I can see why that may get hot, and melt or scrape or something. The design is perfectly fine for the occasional use of the grillbot: perhaps I had a bum motor, or I pushed it to hard. Maybe in a next iteration the motor can be beefed up a little, or replaced by a stepper motor without moving contacts.

But, be this as it may, the grillbot's customer service is fantastic. Many of the complaints by other might disappear if they simply contact Customer Service and get Kelly: I did, and I'm happy as a clam.
2862800
VERY high quality product. Smartly boxed  and beautifully presented. Download the app before using, and keep in mind that the unit is best used with the app running in parallel. If you are not willing to provide a tablet device to run the app you will miss the true potential of this little robot. Interestingly, the developers will supposedly keep on adding software updates are peripherals to extend the robot's capabilities. Very impressive little toy.
582043
Grab an empty (clean it first) soda can, small Phillips head screw driver and a AAA battery and have fun. This robot is actually pretty cool. He is cute too. We named him Pop. Get it. So cleaver aren't we.
The directions are clear; with pictures and descriptions. We helped our 5 and 7 year old. I'd recommend helping. Its also a good way to talk about the science behind robotics.  Fun little experiment for a rainy day.
2037110
a great educational robot, at a great price, the MeCon software made it really easy for the kids to get right to playing with the robot, while still introducing them to the principals of arduino control.  I recommend this for anyone who wants to try their hand at robotics on a budget.