Stereo front cameras for even greater navigation precision / Transmission of live images to mobile phone / World premiere at IFA

Whether suction performance, navigation, mobile controls or other convenience features: With the Scout RX2, Miele is nailing its colours to the mast in the fiercely competitive robovac market. The new model series from the family-owned Miele company has more to offer than its predecessor in virtually every respect – right through to live images relayed from the owner's own four walls to a smartphone or tablet.

Justifiably self-confident, Miele is looking forward to the market launch of the Scout RX2, due soon after this year's IFA trade show: 'This model leaves nothing to be desired', says Matthias Sander, Head of Floor Care with Miele’s Domestic Appliances business unit. The most significant proof of this is cited by Sander as being a threefold increase in dust pickup compared with the previous model. A battery charge still last up to two hours. 'This is unparallelled in the marketplace', claims Sander.

The Scout RX2's significantly improved suction performance on all types of flooring is the result of a newly developed 4-stage cleaning system, referred to by Miele as 'Quattro Cleaning Power': In the first stage, patents pending rotating brushes sweep dirt underneath the unit. The side brushes are fitted to articulated arms so as to reliably reach into corners. These arms are retracted as soon as an obstacle is encountered. Next, a beater bar brushes above all coarse debris into the wide suction aperture at the front before a strong stream of air sucks in any remaining fine dust through a second and narrower opening. The fourth stage comprises a brushless motor which is characterised by high suction power, top-class energy efficiency and excellent durability.

Exemplary protection against collisions and falls

Miele has also improved the already commendable navigation on its robovacs. The Scout RX2 now finds its way around the room thanks to 3D Smart Navigation, a further development based on the Smart Navigation of its predecessor. The core element consists of two front cameras which produce images in stereo allowing space and objects to be seen in 3D. This facilitates the recognition of obstacles and an improved calculation of distances as well as more precisely recording and correcting deviations from its course. Seven infra-red sensors at the front of the unit protect against collisions with furniture and other objects. Three further infra-red sensors below the unit detect for example staircase steps, preventing the unit from tumbling down a flight of stairs. A so-called gyro sensor which measures rotations in collaboration with other sensors enables reliable navigation even in pitch-black darkness.

And while the Scout RX2 is navigating its way around the home, it is saving the coordinates of the areas already cleaned to a map. This allows checks at any given time on where the Scout RX2 is located and which areas have already been cleaned.

Practical live control within one's own four walls

The Scout RX2 is web-enabled and can be controlled using an app, available free-of-charge for the iOS and Android operating systems. Using the app, the machine can be started from anywhere, its current status called up and its timer programmed. In map mode, for instance, cleaning progress can be tracked. It is even possible to manually control the robovac using the app, for instance to guide it to particularly heavily trafficked areas.

The high-end Scout RX2 Home Vision model offers an exciting and eminently useful additional function. In this case, the robovac's camera image is relayed live to a tablet or smartphone. This not only allows its owner to track where it is currently performing its duties; it also allows a remote view of the home to check if everything is OK at any time: Did I close the patio door? What is the dog up? Is there an unwanted visitor in the home? This and much more is never more than a few clicks away, allowing access 'on the fly', from the office, the supermarket, a party or from on holiday. All data is reliably protected as images are encrypted before they are sent and only decrypted on arrival (end-to-end encryption).

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Company profile: Miele is the world's leading manufacturer of premium domestic appliances including cooking, baking and steam-cooking appliances, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floor care products. This line-up is augmented by dishwashers, washer-extractors and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications (Miele Professional). The Miele company, founded in 1899, has eight production plants in Germany as well as one plant each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China and Romania. 2016/17 turnover amounted to approx. EUR 3.93 bn with sales outside Germany accounting for 70%. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries. The Miele company, now in the fourth generation of family ownership, employs a workforce of around 19,500, 10,900 thereof in Germany. The company headquarters are located in Gütersloh/Westphalia, Germany.