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Video : iRobot Roomba Plus 504 Review 🐾
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There is a specific anxiety that comes with owning a robot vacuum and a pet. It’s the fear of coming home to find that your expensive robot has run over a “pet accident” and painted your floors with it. It’s a horror story that has circulated the internet for years, scaring many pet owners away from automation.
The iRobot Roomba Plus 504 is designed specifically to end that fear. Equipped with PrecisionVision AI and a camera mounted low on the chassis, this robot promises to see, identify, and actively avoid obstacles like cords, socks, and yes—pet waste. Combined with a self-emptying dock that holds 2.5 months of dirt, it claims to be the first truly “hands-off” cleaning experience.
But does the AI actually work, or is it just a gimmick? And does the cleaning performance justify the price tag? We put the Roomba Plus 504 through its paces in a cluttered, pet-friendly home to see if it’s the intelligent cleaning companion we’ve been waiting for.
Key Features and Innovations
1. PrecisionVision AI: The End of Getting Stuck
The standout feature of this model is its brain. Unlike older robots that bump into furniture to “feel” their way around, the Roomba Plus 504 uses a front-facing camera and machine learning to recognize objects. It identifies charging cables, shoes, socks, and pet waste in real-time. If it sees an obstacle, it doesn’t just avoid it; it snaps a photo and sends it to your app, asking you if this is a permanent obstacle or a temporary mess.
2. Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes
If you have ever spent 20 minutes cutting hair off a vacuum brush with scissors, you will appreciate this feature. iRobot is the only manufacturer that uses Dual Rubber Brushes instead of bristles. These rollers flex to stay in contact with floors and carpets, but more importantly, they don’t get tangled. Hair is funneled to the ends of the brushes where it is easily pulled off, rather than wrapping tightly around the core.
3. 75 Days of Hands-Free Cleaning
The AutoEmpty Dock is a game-changer for convenience. When the robot finishes a job (or if its bin gets full mid-clean), it returns to the base. A high-powered vacuum in the dock sucks the debris out of the robot and into a sealed AllergenLock bag. The bag holds up to 75 days of dirt. That means you only have to think about vacuuming roughly 5 times a year.
4. ClearView Pro LiDAR Mapping
The Roomba Plus 504 utilizes advanced LiDAR to map your home. This allows it to clean in neat, efficient rows rather than random patterns. It also enables “Smart Mapping,” allowing you to label rooms (e.g., “Kitchen,” “Living Room”) and tell the robot to clean specific areas via the app or voice assistants like Alexa and Google Home.
Hands-On Experience: Real World Performance
The “Obstacle Course” Test
To test the PrecisionVision AI, we scattered a minefield of common household hazards: a phone charger cable, a stray sock, and a fake pet mess. The results were impressive. The Roomba approached the cable, paused, recognized it, and navigated around it without eating the cord. It gave the fake pet waste a wide berth. This feature alone saves you the hassle of “pre-cleaning” your floors before running the vacuum.
Pet Hair Performance
On carpet, the “Power-Lifting Suction” (advertised as 150x stronger than the base 600 series) digs deep. It successfully pulled up dog fur that was embedded in the rug fibers. On hardwood floors, the edge-sweeping brush flicked crumbs out from baseboards effectively. The rubber brushes truly shined here—after a week of testing, there was almost zero hair wrap on the rollers.
The Dirt Detective
The new software features are surprisingly useful. The robot learns your home’s “dirt habits.” For example, if your kitchen is always dirtier than your guest room, the Dirt Detect Technology will prioritize that room and automatically perform extra passes to ensure a deep clean. It feels like the robot is actually adapting to your lifestyle rather than just running a script.
Living with the Noise
While the vacuum itself is relatively quiet during operation, the self-emptying process is loud. It sounds like a jet engine taking off for about 10 seconds. It is startling the first time you hear it, so we recommend scheduling the emptying cycle for times when no one is sleeping.
Pros and Cons
| ✅ The Good | ❌ The Bad |
|---|---|
| Smart AI: Genuinely avoids cords and pet waste, protecting your home. | Loud Base: The self-empty cycle is very noisy (approx. 80dB). |
| Rubber Brushes: The absolute best system for preventing hair tangles. | Bag Cost: You must buy proprietary disposal bags (recurring cost). |
| 75-Day Capacity: Massive convenience; huge bin capacity in the dock. | Price: Premium features come with a premium price tag. |
| LiDAR Mapping: Creates accurate maps quickly, even in low light. |
How Does It Compare?
We compared the iRobot Roomba Plus 504 against a budget contender and a fellow premium robot.
| Feature | 🏆 Roomba Plus 504 (Main) | 🦈 Shark AI Ultra | 💰 Eufy RoboVac 11S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navigation | 👁️ Camera AI + LiDAR | 📡 LiDAR Only | 🎲 Random Bounce |
| Obstacle Avoidance | 💩 AI Object Recognition | 🚧 LiDAR Detection | ❌ None (Bumps Objects) |
| Brush Type | 🌀 Dual Rubber Rollers | ➖ Single Rubber Roller | 🖌️ Bristle Brush |
| Self-Emptying | 🗑️ Bagged (75 Days) | 🗑️ Bagless (60 Days) | ❌ Manual Emptying |
| Pet Waste Guarantee | ✅ Yes (P.O.O.P Promise) | ❌ No | ❌ No |
Final Verdict
The iRobot Roomba Plus 504 is the robot vacuum for people who want to buy back their time and peace of mind. While it is an investment, the value lies in what it doesn’t do: it doesn’t get stuck on cords, it doesn’t get tangled with hair, and it doesn’t smear pet accidents.
Who is this for?
- Pet Owners: The dual rubber brushes and waste avoidance are best-in-class features.
- Tech Enthusiasts: The AI learning and app integration offer a deeply customizable experience.
- Busy Families: If your floors are often cluttered with toys or socks, this robot can navigate the chaos without help.
If you are tired of babysitting your “smart” devices, the Roomba Plus 504 is smart enough to handle the job alone.
