Assistive Techonology -Or why I love Roomba

So there's sort of a backstory on this. My Mom was going to get a Roomba for Christmas. I found one on sale for a great price, and I thought I'd really thrill her, since she does a lot of sweeping up sand and has been talking about getting one for a long time. Then 3 weeks later I went home to visit. And discover that my Mom had borrowed a friend's Roomba, and it didn't really help her, since there was too much in the way of furniture for it to get around. Of course, now it was well after the 15 day return policy. So I was stuck with the little red frizbe. I thought about selling it on Craigslist, but I figured it might be worth it to try.

Side note: I hate vacuming. It takes most of my energy and strength, and I can only do it in 15 minute bursts. Even in my tiny apartment that means it can take a while to finish. I'd much rather have that time for other things, and that energy can go a long way.

So, I pulled it out, and let it charge for the required (or at least recommended). Then I set it in the middle of my bedroom floor (well known for it's deposits of hair) and hit the little green butten. Can I just tell you, this thing is funny to watch. It starts in a spiral, and then works it's way around the room (even cleaning under the heating registers) and finally ends with a series of foreys across the floor. After a few minutes of giggling at it I shut the door and went into the other room. Other than the ocassional bump into the connecting door, it was actually fairly quiet. I went in after an hour, and it had stopped next to the dressor, and the whole floor was clean. It even got up the hair (I have long dark hair, so it often makes the floor look much dirtier than it is). I opened the canister, and was shocked at how much the little thing sucked up (I had actually cleaned two days before). What's more, with a quick swipe of the cleaning tool all the hair untangled from the brush (which is removeable, which makes it so much easier to de-hair).

The next day I left it to tackle the living/kitchen/dining/office room. That's a lot of furniture, and I was sure it would miss large sections. Well, it didn't. I was impressed. I figured I'd have to create little walls (yes, you can get virtual walls, but I don't have any) to pen it in so it would clean, but it did a pretty good job even without that.

This isn't generally what people think when they talk about assistive technology. But it saved me a lot of time and energy, and freed me up to have a better day. It's taken strain off my body, and having the vacuming done by a little robot amuzes me no end. This counts as an assistive device.

Someone asked me how I justified the expense. And it got me thinking. It wasn't cheap, even getting a great deal. But, neither is a dishwasher (and the Roomba takes a lot less space). A lot of people have dishwashers, even though they could do the dishes my hand. There is a slight advantage of using a dish washer, namely the heat, but either way will work. Many people consider a dishwasher an essential. My Roomba (and I'm actually starting to think of names for it) costs less, and benefits me more than a dishwasher ever would. So I think I keep the little thing. One more way that technology can make my life easer.