Vacuums have come a long way. You no longer have to suffer the indignity of dragging around an unwieldy plastic hose connected to a clumsy, wheeled canister the size of a Galapagos tortoise. In fact, you don't even need to get off of the couch. Though it still feels like a relatively new product category, there are several good robot vacuums available to help you dispose of dust, pet hair, and other debris in your home—without needing to lift a finger. Which is the right one for you? We've rounded up our highest-rated robot vacuums, and provided a few pointers to help you find just the 'bot you're looking for.Unlike more traditional canister or stick models like the Hoover Air Cordless, robot vacuums are autonomous and (for the most part) intelligent. The vacuums we've tested are equipped with lasers, motherboards, sensors, and even Wi-Fi to navigate around your home without the need for assistance. With a few exceptions, you barely have to interact with them at all. Most robot vacuums come with charging docks;

some, like the Roomba 980, can even charge themselves. Just pick a robot-accessible spot for the dock, and the 'bot will return on its own before it runs out of juice. best steam cleaners for floor tilesWhen it does, it will sit there until it has enough energy to go back out and continue to bust dust from where it left off. upholstery steam cleaning londonYou can also set schedules for most 'bots to wake up and start a cleaning job, so it can take place while you're out of the house. cheap carpet cleaning in birminghamThat means you can potentially avoid all physical interaction until the vacuum needs to be emptied—you still can't take that step out of the equation.best above ground pool cleaner 2015

Also unlike many traditional vacuums, all of the robots included here don't use bags to hold the dust, hair, and other debris they suck up. Instead, they use an easy-to-remove dust bin you can simply eject and empty into the nearest garbage can. carpet cleaning adelaide dealsAnd many come equipped with HEPA filters that prevent allergens from spreading through the air.best carpet cleaning adelaide Also worth noting: Floor-cleaning robots like the iRobot Braava 380t and the iRobot Scooba 450specialize in mopping and sweeping. They aren't eligible for this list because they don't vacuum up dirt and debris, but they will get your hardwood floors nice and shiny. The Moneual Rydis H68 is the only vacuum on this list that offers wet mop cleaning as well. Convenience vs. CostA robot vacuum is usually higher in price than a traditional vacuum (though not always; the Dyson Cinetic Animal + Allergy costs a whopping $700).

The models listed here range from $250 to $900. That's a pretty sizable investment, even on the lower end. Let's consider just what you get for the price. Unless you really love to vacuum, the task itself is pretty mundane. Depending on the size of your house, a robot vacuum can save you anywhere from minutes to hours of your time every week by taking care of a pretty thankless chore. That alone is reason enough for some people to consider one. In addition, robot vacuums have reached the point where they're basically just as effective and powerful as regular vacuums. The robots rounded up here use filters, side brushes, and spinning brushes that will do an equally good job of cleaning your home as their upright equivalents. They're also fairly compact, so they won't take up much space in your storage closet. And they're able to travel underneath most couches and tables, so you won't have to rearrange furniture. Even if you do, the more advanced robots on this list use memory banks to note where furniture is placed, so as not to bump into anything on a future pass.

Also worth mentioning: The latest vacuums, like the Neato BotVac Connected and the aformentioned Roomba 980, can connect to your home Wi-Fi network so you can control them with your smartphone, even when you're not home. Convenience like this is pricey, but it definitely has its perks. For more shopping advice, including robot and traditional models, be sure to read our buying guide. To see our most recent reviews, check out our Vacuum product page.It wasn’t so long ago that a robotic vacuum you might have given as a gift would quickly end up collecting dust instead of sucking it up. That’s because while robotic vacuums were fun to watch, they were often lousy at keeping floors clean. The latest robotics have come a long way, however, thanks to stronger suction, better edge-cleaning capabilities, and improved programming. They’re still not ready to replace a full-sized upright or canister vacuum, but for daily cleaning of surface debris, a robotic vacuum can work wonders—if you choose one of our top-rated models.

One notable exception from this roundup: the new Dyson 360 Eye, $1,000. We had high hopes for the machine, especially after the Dyson V8 Absolute crushed it in our latest stick-vacuum tests. But the Dyson robotic was undone by so-so carpet cleaning and ease of use, which are all the harder to accept given its steep price. Go to Consumer Reports' 2016 Holiday Gift Guide for updates on deals, expert product reviews, insider tips on shopping, and much more. Be sure to check our Daily Gift Guide, and sign up to get an e-newsletter with top picks, trusted product reviews, and the latest news from Consumer Reports. This sleek little sucker soared to the top of our ratings because of its superb cleaning of carpets and bare floors. A couple of key design details helped make the difference. First, the Samsung’s ability to clean along walls is enhanced by well-designed edge brushes, which emerge and rotate only when needed. Second, the robot’s squared-off front enables it to clean corners better than its more rounded counterparts.

As for power, the Samsung was able to suck embedded pet hair and fine grains of sand from carpets better than much of the competition. iRobot has been building robotic vacuums since the early 2000s. The Roomba 880 had been our top-rated robotic until the Samsung came along. But this is still one darn good machine, delivering super cleaning across bare floors and carpets. Standing 4 inches tall, it’s a bit shorter than the Samsung, so it will have an easier time getting under sofas and other obstacles. For the savviest gadget lover on your gift list, you might also consider the Roomba 960, $770, a smartphone-controlled robotic vacuum that should perform similarly to the Roomba 880. Though there are a handful of cheaper robotics on the market, the iClebo is by far the best bargain on our winners’ list. Cleaning across bare floors was superb, and it performed capably on carpets. At 3.5 inches, it has the best clearance of all our top picks, and its average run time of 119 minutes was tops among all tested robotic vacuums.