The Looj is a rain gutter (eavestrough) cleaning domestic robot made and sold by iRobot.
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The Looj is not an autonomous robot, but rather a remote-controlled robot patterned after a toy tank with a power drill mounted on the front.
Description
The Looj is a 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) tall and 3.25 inches (8.3 cm) wide robot that fits inside most gutters to clean out debris stuck inside them, such as leaves and pine needles. It has long treads on its side which allow it to move inside the gutter, and an auger attached to its front. The auger, spinning flexible flaps at 500 RPM, dislodges and removes debris inside the gutter by flinging it sideways into the air. The device also has a detachable handle/remote, that is used to carry and operate the robot.
The first Looj models were powered by an internal 7.2 V NiCad rechargeable battery, which must be removed for charging. Later models use a Li-ion rechargeable battery instead.
Critical Reception
The Looj was received favourably by reviewers prior to release. Crunch Gear said "If you place your ladder at a corner of the house – and your gutters are wide enough – you can easily clean out two sides of a house in a few minutes."
Looj won the Best of CES Innovations Award: Home Appliances in 2008.