Looj

The Looj is a rain gutter (eavestrough) cleaning domestic robot made and sold by iRobot.

The Looj is not an autonomous robot, but rather a remote-controlled robot patterned after a toy tank with a power drill mounted on the front.

Description

The Looj is a 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) tall and 3.25 inches (8.3 cm) wide robot that fits inside most gutters to clean out debris stuck inside them, such as leaves and pine needles. It has long treads on its side which allow it to move inside the gutter, and an auger attached to its front. The auger, spinning flexible flaps at 500 RPM, dislodges and removes almost all of the debris inside the gutter by flinging it sideways into the air. The Looj also has a detachable handle/remote, with a 75 feet (23 m) range, that is used to carry and operate the robot.

The first Looj models were powered by an internal 7.2 V NiCad rechargeable battery, which must be removed for charging. On a full charge of 15 hours, the robot can run for 30 to 45 minutes. Later models use a Li-ion rechargeable battery instead.

Operation

To operate the Looj, it is first placed onto the user's person, using the clip or holster that comes with the robot. This allows the user to safely climb a ladder using both hands, while still carrying the cleaning robot. The user then places the Looj inside the gutter, removing the detachable handle which houses the wireless remote control unit.

The Looj can move forwards and backwards, and the auger flaps can spin in both directions to control the direction in which the debris is flung.

After driving the robot back and forth along the gutters, the user drives it back to the starting position, where it can be picked up by re-attaching the handle. Once cleaning is finished, the robot can be washed with running water as the Looj is waterproof to 1 foot (30 cm) deep.

Models

Model 100 is the original, with 7.2 V NiCad battery

Model 120 has a 3-stage auger, Remote Control with 75 feet (23 m) range

Model 130

Models 125, 135, 155 - New 2nd generation in January 2009, $130. Internal antenna (previous models had a whip antenna); Anti-flipping auger; Smart speed (allows it to speed up and slow down as needed); Tool-less battery door (previous required "+" Phillips screwdriver)

Model 330 came out in August 2012. It has a lower profile, uses 7.2 V lithium-ion battery so it recharges faster, 200 feet per charge, 4-stage cleaning augur, horizontal scraper.

Critical Reception

The Looj was received favourably by reviewers prior to release. Crunch Gear said "If you place your ladder at a corner of the house – and your gutters are wide enough – you can easily clean out two sides of a house in a few minutes."

Looj won the Best of CES Innovations Award: Home Appliances in 2008.

External links

• Looj product page
• Looj product video review