Robomaid - $10 Robot Cleaner.

I've always been fascinated with the idea of the Roomba, whose manufacturer, iRobot, isn't that far away from us. But at circa $150, the Roomba has always been a little too pricey for me, especially since there's no way of telling how well it would work in our home which has a combination of wood floors and rugs.

Kevin Kelly over at Cool Tools reviews an alternative -- Robomaid, a low tech, very cheap version of the Roomba cleaner. At $10, I might give it a try. If nothing else, it would amuse Bear and the Curl.