Robotic window wiping
For anyone who despises housework, robot home helpers are a blessing. Everyone knows iRobot's Roomba vacuum cleaner, perhaps you've even heard of the same company's Braava floor mop. But what about a robot window cleaner?
Robotically cleaning vertical surfaces doesn't sound viable, but gadget company Thanko has released Windy, and compared to most robot helpers its being sold at a reasonably cheap price of ¥29,800. This little robot uses suction power created by its motor to secure itself to a window, and then, much like other cleaning gadgets, it uses sensors to detect the edges of window panes. It can run automatically, moving on to the next section each time it reaches an edge, or manually by a remote controller, and it takes 2.4 minutes to clean 1 square meter. Though it needs to be plugged into the mains, if the cord does fall out mid-cleaning, it has a backup battery to ensure it doesn't drop off the window.