So you thought your new robot vacuum with its self-emptying bin and LiDAR navigation was state of the art? Robot vacuum technology has grown by leaps and bounds over the past year alone. Besides simply emptying their own bins and mapping your rooms with lasers (that's so 2022), the latest robot vacuums can hoist themselves over door thresholds, extend robotic arms to reach dust particles tucked in corners, apply elbow grease to stubborn floor stains, and more. Ever watch your robot vacuum struggle to crest a door threshold that's barely an inch tall? It's a sad sight, not to mention a barrier (literally) to achieving total vacuum coverage for your floors.

Our household only recently discovered the glorious, hands-free reality of a AI-enabled, self-emptying robot vacuum, one that scooted expertly around our apartment, busting dust for weeks on end with little input from us. But even with our trusty Roomba busting dust left and right, we knew something was missing: The bot was only sweeping, not mopping. We'd long dismissed the idea of a robot mop--after all, the earliest ones did little more than drag a damp cloth across the floor. But robot mopping tech has advanced at a furious pace, with the latest robot vacuum-and-mop combos boasting mop heads that apply downward pressure and lift themselves to avoid carpets, while base stations can clean the mop pads themselves--with hot water, no less. Could a vacuum-and-mop robot really measure up to a standard stick mop?

It brought home the limits of artificial intelligence. The robo-mop was acting rationally since it had been programmed to clean "dirty" things.

A prime candidate for secular canonisation – and a personal hero of mine – is Frances Gabe. She was a visionary, a terrible neighbour (she antagonised hers with a succession of snarling great danes and a penchant for nude DIY) and the inventor of the self-cleaning home. Gabe, who died in 2016 at 101, transformed her Oregon bungalow into a "giant dishwasher", with a system of sprinklers, air dryers and drains, plus self-cleaning sinks, bath and toilet. "Housework is a thankless, unending job," Gabe said. I agree with Gabe – and with Lenin, who condemned housework as "barbarously unproductive, petty, nerve-racking, stultifying and crushing drudgery".

Robot vacuum pioneer iRobot has big plans in the works. From new Roombas that clean themselves to smart vacuums that communicate with floor-mopping machines, and even robotic lawn mowers, iRobot has been busy. But while these sophisticated home care systems sound impressive, even useful, they suffer from one glaring downside. They are all staggeringly expensive. This move by iRobot is no accident.