Prototype, Neato Automatic Vacuum Cleaner Prototype

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	We acquired this object.
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2013	Work on this object began.
2014	We exhibited this object.
2025	You found it!

Prototype, Neato Automatic Vacuum Cleaner Prototype

This is a prototype. It was designed by Smart Design, Inc. and manufactured by Neato Robotics.

This object is not part of the Cooper Hewitt's permanent collection. It was able to spend time at the museum on loan from Smart Design, Inc. as part of Beautiful Users.

It is dated 2013. Its medium is acrylic, polycarbonate, electrical components.

The Neato robotic vacuum uses different sounds to signal different states of operation, such as encountering a person or getting trapped. Early prototypes feature LED graphics that glow through the plastic skin. Smart Design researched how people interact with the popular Roomba robotic vacuum, learning that a user’s first contact with the appliance can be an exciting point of discovery, but over time the relationship grows more distant.

It is credited Courtesy of the designers.