Window-cleaning robots: Are Australians ready?

Robot vacuums are reliable soldiers. 

They follow orders, complete tasks and return to base to clean themselves and recharge without the need to lift a finger.

It's a luxury I and others in my extended family have enjoyed and raved about for years. 

As such, I was excited to deploy its window cleaning cousin. 

But, as you may suspect, they aren't as easy to send into battle.  

Ecovacs revealed its $799 Winbot W1 Pro earlier this year. 

For the past week it has been zig-zagging across windows all over my tiny townhouse. 

My initial impression? This thing is strong.

The science behind the Winbot W1 Pro's suction mystifies me but I was convinced my single-pane windows would shatter before I could yank it off the glass. 

A safety rope comes permanently attached to the machine which you can loop over curtain rods and nearby rails. 

It doesn't get in the way, but I ditched that pretty quickly once I was confident the Winbot wouldn't frequently fall off my giant square windows (which is what the robot is designed for). 

While setting up the W1 Pro, the app will caution you against using the robot on other types of glass. 

Windows that are too small are not suitable. Same goes for textured and curved glass. 

Gaps, some edgings and decorations like stickers could also destabilise the Winbot. 

They're common sense limitations, but limitations none-the-less. 

And ridiculous as it is to want the Winbot to leap from window to window like Indiana Jones, it's where the impracticality of the technology lies.

You physically have to disconnect, move and reconnect the Winbot W1 Pro every five to ten minutes. 

Too often I found myself standing next to it (rather than going off to do something productive), scrolling on my phone and waiting for it to finish for longer than it'd take me to clean the window myself. 

I put that to the test using some good-old-fashion Windex and paper towels and while it took me two minutes to wipe down one half of my glass sliding door twice, it took the Winbot five and a half minutes (on the 'fast' setting) to go over the same space once.        

Speaking of Windex, the Winbot W1 Pro must be filled with a cleaning solution. 

A small, 230mL bottle comes in the box - which is worth about four refills. 

I used three in a few hours and I didn't even clean every window in my tiny townhouse.

You can buy a new bottle only for $14.99 AUD.

That's a lot compared to the $3 you can pay for a 500mL bottle of Windex. I haven't tried pouring Windex into the Winbot but I can see myself trying in future. 

Good news is, it does a solid job. 

Don't expect the Winbot W1 Pro to remove months (or years) of built up grime - even when you switch it to its 'deep' cleaning function - but it certainly left my windows with a streak-free shine. 

The one exception is the sport where the Winbot stops and beeps for your attention at the end of its clean. That's generally right in the middle of the window it just cleaned (or wherever it started) and the mop pad will leave an imprint.

Personally, I found it most useful on those hard to reach outdoor windows which demand climbing a ladder to clean. Of course, there are risks to using the Winbot W1 Pro outside (especially on a second floor or higher) and that is where the safety rope earns its keep.

Whether the Winbot W1 Pro should earn its spot in your home is another question.  

$799 is a lot to ask of many in the midst of a cost of living crisis. 

And while I'll happily keep mine handy for those hard to reach, outdoor windows - if I need to get the job done quick - I'll be reaching for the Windex and a paper towel first.