Neato Robotics adds more smarts to its vacuum cleaners

Neato Robotics has doubled the storage in its latest robot vacuum cleaner, the Botvac D7 Connected, and given owners new ways to interact with it. It doesn't hold any more dust than its predecessors, the D3 and D5, but it does have twice the memory capacity. With 256MB of RAM and 4GB of flash storage, according to CEO Giacomo Marini, it can use its laser sensor to map its surroundings in greater detail than before. The upgrade has allowed Neato to update its smartphone app with some new mapping functions, including the ability to set virtual no-go areas where the robot should not clean. Previous models had to be physically kept away from litter trays or Lego works-in-progress by magnetic strips placed on the floor.