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robot vacuum

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Dear Iran: Barbie Ain't So Bad, But Robot Vacs Are Evil

This week, Iran told Barbie, "We have to talk." It's not an all-out Dear John situation, but the blonde dolly may need to tread lightly in the country. She's not the only one: Spider-Man, Batman and Harry Potter are already on the clerical watch list. Yep, the country that brought you carpets, backgammon, ethanol, windmills and carrots—one that until the Islamic Revolution in 1979 was the most progressive state in the Islamic world—is considering a Barbie Ban. When I saw that, I wondered what other products had been branded off limits, and which gadgets were left for the Barbie-less boys and girls to play with. Turns out, the mullahs might not have their priorities straight. More »

robot vacuum

Samsung Hauzen VC-RE70V Vacuum is Roomba's Clever Cousin

As well as hanging out with attractive women on the bed, Samsung's new Hauzen VC-RE70V robot vacuum has some clever tech inside. It actually uses a camera to generate a map of your room, so it knows where it has already cleaned. When it's low on juice it hunts down its charging base for power, and then zooms back to where it had got to before. Of course it also does obstacle avoidance with 15 sensors, but that's not as cool as the mapping function. If it had internet connectivity, it'd be the sort of thing you'd end up watching for hours as it zipped around your home ... well, maybe. Out in Korea this month, we don't know the price. [i4u and Akihabaranews]