I Tried a Window-Cleaning Robot: Do Not Recommend

我试用了擦窗机器人：不推荐购买

I love the idea of robots taking over menial tasks, so I was excited to try the Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni. This premium window-cleaning robot is highly rated online. I have a robot vacuum and a robot mower, and I would never go back to doing these chores myself. Sadly, I had such a traumatically awful experience with the Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni that I’m left wondering why anyone would want a window-cleaning robot at all.

我喜欢机器人接管琐碎家务的想法，所以我很兴奋能试用科沃斯（Ecovacs）Winbot W2S Omni。这款高端擦窗机器人在网上评价很高。我家里有扫地机器人和割草机器人，我再也不想自己动手做这些家务了。遗憾的是，我对科沃斯 Winbot W2S Omni 的使用体验简直是一场噩梦，这让我不禁怀疑，到底为什么会有人想要一台擦窗机器人。

Before I embark on this tale of woe, I should point out that most of my issues are with the whole category, not the Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni specifically. There are circumstances where I can imagine it working well. I briefly tested another window-cleaning robot, the much cheaper Mova N1 ($199), for comparison, and can attest that the Ecovacs has a much smarter design and cleans more efficiently. It might even be the best window-cleaning robot you can get; I just don’t think a robot for cleaning windows is worthwhile for most homes.

在讲述这段悲惨经历之前，我必须指出，我的大部分不满是针对整个品类，而非科沃斯 Winbot W2S Omni 本身。在某些情况下，我可以想象它能工作得很好。为了对比，我简要测试了另一款便宜得多的擦窗机器人 Mova N1（199 美元），我可以证明科沃斯的设计要聪明得多，清洁效率也更高。它甚至可能是你能买到的最好的擦窗机器人；我只是认为，对于大多数家庭来说，擦窗机器人并不值得购买。

The Good

优点

The Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni has a smart design and comes in a charging case that includes its own battery. The case has slots and compartments for cables, spare pads, cleaning solution, and the bot itself, attached with a retractable, braided, 18-foot cable. It looks like a little cooler with a folding handle and weighs around 15 pounds. A full charge gives you 110 minutes of cleaning.

科沃斯 Winbot W2S Omni 设计巧妙，配备了一个自带电池的充电收纳箱。箱内设有插槽和隔层，用于存放线缆、备用抹布、清洁液以及机器人本身，机器人通过一根 18 英尺长的可伸缩编织线与箱体连接。它看起来像个带折叠手柄的小冷藏箱，重约 15 磅。充满电后可提供 110 分钟的清洁时间。

The Winbot is 10 by 10 by 2.5 inches and weighs around 4 pounds. You attach a cleaning pad to the Velcro sections and fill it with the cleaning solution. It has a leatherlike strap for picking it out of the case and sticking it to the window. Press the button on the front to start it up. It takes a few seconds to ramp up the suction, then tells you when it’s firmly in place, so you can let go. This is a nerve-racking moment the first few times, but the suction is plenty powerful.

Winbot 的尺寸为 10 x 10 x 2.5 英寸，重约 4 磅。你需要将清洁抹布贴在魔术贴区域，并注入清洁液。它配有一条仿皮带，方便从箱中取出并吸附在窗户上。按下正面的按钮即可启动。它需要几秒钟来提升吸力，然后会提示你它已牢固吸附，这时你就可以松手了。前几次操作时，这一刻非常令人紧张，但它的吸力确实非常强劲。

You can press a button on the case to cycle through the four modes. There are Deep and Thorough modes, recommended for exterior windows, Fast mode for interior windows, and an Edge Cleaning mode. I was surprised by how quick and easy it was to set up, and I started with the biggest window in our house, a recently installed, ground-level, modern window at the back, roughly 7 by 10 feet.

你可以按下箱体上的按钮来切换四种模式。包括推荐用于外窗的“深度清洁”和“彻底清洁”模式，用于内窗的“快速”模式，以及“边缘清洁”模式。它的设置之快、之简单让我感到惊讶。我首先尝试了家里最大的一扇窗户——那是最近安装在后方的一扇约 7 x 10 英尺的落地现代窗。

The Winbot navigated to the top using its tank-style tracks and then cleaned in horizontal lines. It has wee bumpers that detect the edges, and it deploys an occasional spurt of cleaning fluid onto the glass ahead of it. The cleaning pads are microfiber pads. The Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni did a decent job on this first window. If you have a lot of large windows like this, it might be worth looking at. My only complaints were that it left a dirty residue in the corners and smearing in places.

Winbot 利用其坦克履带爬到顶部，然后以水平线条进行清洁。它有微型保险杠来检测边缘，并会不时向前方玻璃喷洒清洁液。清洁抹布是超细纤维材质的。科沃斯 Winbot W2S Omni 在这扇窗户上的表现还不错。如果你家里有很多这样的大窗户，它或许值得考虑。我唯一的抱怨是它在角落留下了污垢残留，且局部有擦痕。

I had it clean my back door next, which is a large pane of glass, but it struggled with the handle. I was surprised to find that, after cleaning the inside and outside of the first window and door, it asked me to change the pad and refill the cleaning solution. It comes with one spare pad, and you can flip them over, though you will quickly end up with muck in the Velcro if you do.

接下来我让它清洁后门，那是一整块大玻璃，但它在处理把手时遇到了困难。令我惊讶的是，在清洁完第一扇窗户和门的内外两侧后，它就提示我更换抹布并补充清洁液。它只附带了一块备用抹布，虽然你可以把抹布翻过来用，但这样做很快就会让魔术贴上沾满污垢。

My Victorian house has tall bay windows, and I was excited to try the Winbot there next. I struggle to reach the top of these windows. I have tried a ladder and an extending cleaning pole, but neither is ideal. I figured the Winbot might just be the solution. I was wrong.

我的维多利亚式住宅有很高的凸窗，我很高兴接下来能在那里试用 Winbot。我很难够到这些窗户的顶部。我试过梯子和伸缩清洁杆，但效果都不理想。我原以为 Winbot 可能是解决办法。我错了。

The Bad

缺点

I have a traditional sash-and-case bay window, recently replaced at great expense. I tried the Ecovacs Winbot W2S Omni on the largest, top-central pane first. It mostly cleaned the inside but got stuck on the metal loop fittings for opening the window and had to give up. I tried it on the outside. It was slow, but it eventually cleaned most of the window, except for a clag of muck in the corners and dirty stripes down the edges. Unfortunately, when it got to the bottom, it did a weird stuttering maneuver, managing to damage the astragal by ripping off paintwork.

我家里有传统的推拉式凸窗，是最近花大价钱更换的。我首先在最大的一块顶部中央玻璃上试用了科沃斯 Winbot W2S Omni。它基本清洁了内侧，但被窗户开启用的金属环扣卡住了，不得不放弃。我又试了外侧。它速度很慢，但最终清洁了大部分窗户，只是角落里留下了污垢，边缘处留下了脏条纹。不幸的是，当它到达底部时，它做了一个奇怪的停顿动作，竟然把窗棂的油漆给刮掉了，造成了损坏。

OK, so window-cleaning robots cannot deal with traditional windows. I know textured glass interferes with the suction and, predictably, handles and fixtures interfere with the movement, but it also struggles with astragals that aren’t thick or solid enough. I wouldn’t risk using it with any that aren’t finished in hard plastic or something else durable.

好吧，看来擦窗机器人无法处理传统窗户。我知道纹理玻璃会影响吸力，而且不出所料，把手和固定装置会干扰其移动，但它在处理不够厚实或坚固的窗棂时也很吃力。如果窗棂不是用硬塑料或其他耐用材料制成的，我绝不会冒险使用它。

I figured I’d give it one last chance on the upstairs bay window, as it’s a PVC replacement that was put in before we moved in, so it has thicker astragals finished in hard plastic. Using it one story up gave me serious anxiety. After an alarming five minutes or so of watching it loudly and squeakily navigate the window, it began to sound an alarm and flash a red light, with a stern voice informing me it was stuck and I should check the app for solutions. Where was it stuck? You guessed it, right at the top of the window where I had no hope of reaching it.

我想最后再给它一次机会，在楼上的凸窗上试用一下。那是我们搬进来之前安装的 PVC 替换窗，所以它有更厚的硬塑料窗棂。在二楼使用它让我感到极度焦虑。在提心吊胆地看了它大约五分钟吵闹且吱吱作响的移动后，它开始发出警报并闪烁红灯，用严厉的声音通知我它被卡住了，让我查看应用程序寻找解决方案。它卡在哪里了？你猜对了，就在窗户的最顶端，我根本够不到的地方。

I’m not ashamed to say I panicked. I worried that if it suddenly fell, it would potentially smash into the window downstairs. The charging case does act as a counterweight; other window-cleaning bots have tethers to attach to furniture. There’s also a button to retract the cord and cut the slack, but there’s still potential for damage if it falls. I tried to lean out of my window, while it loudly alerted, to see if I could reach the release button. No joy.

我不怕承认我当时慌了。我担心如果它突然掉下来，可能会砸碎楼下的窗户。充电箱确实起到了配重作用；其他擦窗机器人有连接家具的安全绳。虽然还有一个按钮可以收回线缆并消除松弛，但如果它掉落，仍有造成损坏的可能。在它大声报警的同时，我试着探出窗外，看能不能够到释放按钮。没能成功。

By this time, a couple of passersby had stopped to watch. I tried to pull it in using the cable, but it wouldn’t budge. Eventually, I figured out I could lower the top pane just enough to reach it. But pressing and holding the button to power down the suction, while hanging out my window and holding the strap, felt downright dangerous. My heart was pounding in my ears by the time it finally released.

此时，几个路人停下来围观。我试着用线缆把它拉回来，但它纹丝不动。最终，我想出办法，把上层窗户降下一点，刚好能够到它。但是，当我挂在窗外、手里抓着带子，同时还要按住按钮关闭吸力时，感觉简直太危险了。当它最终松开时，我的心跳声在耳边清晰可闻。