Here's a robot that does window. Winbot 7 Series, $200-$300, www.ecovacs.com
The Winbot 7 Series robot from Ecovacs does do windows.
The Winbot works like many other floor-cleaning robots, only it works on vertical surfaces. After it is plugged into an electrical outlet, a powerful vacuum motor keeps it stuck on window glass as it creeps in a zigzag pattern to clean the surface.
There is a safety tether to keep the Winbot from bombing pedestrians below if it were to lose power. The Winbot has a damp cleaning pad on its leading edge that is followed by a squeegee and a drying pad in back. The reusable pads could require machine washing after a single large dirty window, but the company said they more typically need a wash every few months.
The Winbot becomes available in April at a list price of $200 for the 710 model that cleans framed windows and $300 for the 730 model that cleans framed and frameless windows.
Your lost luggage can send you a text. Trakdot, $50, www.trakdot.com
While services for tracking luggage with RFID tags, bar codes or GPS have been around for a while, a company called Trakdot Luggage is taking a slightly different approach.
It is putting a radio transceiver on your bags that tells you where your luggage is. The Trakdot sends out a mobile phone signal that lets you find its general vicinity — within 30 feet, the company says — by seeing what cellphone towers it is near.
Trakdot estimates that it can work continuously for up to a month on standard AA batteries.
As a battery-saver, the Trakdot shuts down on the plane when it is moving at more than 115 miles per hour. Every 20 minutes the device pops on briefly to check speed, then shuts down again until the plane lands. Then it sends a text to show where the bag has arrived.
The Trakdot is $50, with an activation fee of $9 and a $13 annual fee. The device will be available in April.
NEW YORK TIMES