As well as testing their hoovering skills, we rated each robot’s app and how easy they were to set up and maintain. The LEGO Friends playsets are made with little girls in mind, although boys can play with them, too. You can also use the app to access the camera on the vacuum and see where it is in real-time – handy if it has got stuck or you want to check up on your pet (you can guide it remotely, too). Slightly more advanced than the entry-level robovac 15C max, the robovac G30 hybrid adds a mopping function and features improved navigation and route planning, so it’s faster and more efficient.

You can tell it to only use the self-emptying bin during certain hours of the day (self-emptying is loud), and you can disable the physical button on the vacuum itself, so mischievous kids and dextrous pets can’t set it going. Cleans while you’re out: Schedule your robot vacuum cleaner, or trigger it from the app, and you can come home to a freshly cleaned floor. The mopping tank is small, so you’ll need to refill with detergent fairly frequently if you use it routinely.The set includes tiles in 12 different sizes: 38 3-inch squares, two 6-inch squares, 12 3-inch window squares in three styles, 46 triangles, four rectangles, four battlement rectangles, and two four-wheel wagons. I added a cookie baking tray as a base for him to make them portable so we can save it for the next day! Both mechanisms allow it to map your home, navigate your space on its own, dodge obstacles, and even know where your stairs are.

Some of the noteworthy villains included in the playsets include the Joker, the Penguin, Ultron, the Red Skull, and Magneto. In our tests it was noticeably better at picking up dust, dirt and pet hair than any other robot vacuum in our list, and while it doesn’t have a camera to help it steer clear of hazards, it retains all of the app-based smart features you’d expect from iRobot. It’s also a good one for beginners, as it may be easier for some children to start imagining by playing with a specific set and building guidelines before branching out into more complex or creative builds.

Time-saving: Assuming you don’t hang around watching your new robot hoover in action, the biggest benefit to using one is freeing up your time to do something else besides vacuuming the floors. Frida will play with them in the morning before we go out, and then again for hours when we come home in the afternoon. Roomba’s best-in-class obstacle detection can spot and avoid common household hazards such as dangling cables, shoelaces, stray socks, toys and pet mess, meaning you can confidently set it going without having to “pre-tidy” – exceptionally handy in busy homes.

At Children Hub, we believe in the power of teamwork, the joy of the game, and the potential within every child. There are minifigures included with each set and the sets interact with each other, such as The Snow Hideout and The Ice Spikes. They’re most advantageous when used with existing sets, so PicassoTiles 28-Piece Large Stabilizer Building Block Base might not be the best first investment for a beginner.

Whereas the Roomba J7+ is designed with a front-facing camera to cleverly skirt around unexpected obstacles, the Roomba S9+ is all about suction power and reach. This includes Batman and Robin, plus their alter-egos of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, their butler Alfred and the four main villains from the show: Joker, Riddler, Penguin, and Catwoman.

Tegu Wooden Blocks are made in Honduras, and the small business brand supports the local economy in Tegucigalpa, the country’s capital. Fans of the 1966-68 "Batman" TV show can even purchase a recreation of the Batcave and Wayne Manor that appeared on that show, plus many minifigures of the show's characters based on how they looked in that show. Switching to this mode requires that you replace the dust bin with a water tank and reusable microfibre cloth, so you don’t get the fully autonomous mode of the pricier rival.By deploying the mopping cloth from a little compartment on top of the robot, it enables truly hands-free cleaning: you can feel confident about leaving it to do its thing and not coming back to a disaster scene.