The robotic category is definitely one to watch and pictured here is the Samsung Navibot Silencio. At around £499.99 it is not one for the faint-hearted but probably a must-have for the same consumer buying bean-to-cup coffee machines and steam generators in the early days. Manufacturers believe as prices come down, the category will become more popular. The Navibot Silencio has 39 sensors and VirtualGuard navigation to prevent it from becoming tangled in cables or falling downstairs. A camera takes 30 photos of a room per second to create a virtual map and its ‘brain’ allows it to remember where it’s cleaned in relation to objects and its charging base.

A new brand on the UK domestic scene is Nilco, a German manufacturer better known for its commercial cleaners. Perhaps not the most attractive on the market but it offers three good functional range of dry and wet and dry tank cleaners. Pictured is the entry-level NT21 described by UK distributor Charles Gordon as “a vacuum cleaner with muscles!” It is ideal for heavy-duty dry and wet vacuuming around the house, on the patio and in the garage. Tools are stored on the accompanying trolley and the cleaner can even change to a leaf blower. The two other models are NT12 (12ltr capacity) and the NT20 (15ltr).

Steam cleaning remains something of a niche area in floorcare but as with steam generator irons and even espresso makers, both of which involve the use of bar pressurised steam, once the consumer understands the benefits, they buy into the whole idea. Polti’s Vaporetto Comfort steam cleaner is compact and lightweight, has 3 bar pressure steam, a front swivel wheel and easy grip handle. There is a built-in compartment for storing the accessories, rounding this off as an easy-use powerful product.

The Nimble cleaner from AEG lives up to its name, with smooth swivel steering to easily move around furniture. It is the first upright bagless cleaner from AEG with this steering and the idea is to put less strain on the wrist, reducing the number of times the user needs to move heavy items around to complete a good clean. Available in ‘cassis’, one of the new earth tone colours popular in floorcare this season.