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It depends on the robot.

A Roomba can be had for the price of a few weeks' groceries.

Industrial assembly robots run about $60k, though deployment costs are over 3x that. Curiously, reprogramming a robot is considerably more expensive than the robot itself, according to one source.

If you have a well-defined, and reasonably attainable task, costs are likely predictable and possibly finite. If you've got a poorly defined and hard-to-reach goal, expenses will likely rise to meet resources.



One thing I'll comment on this is that I have a Roomba, love it, but it does require quite a bit of human care. About every three clean cycles (I have a one bedroom apartment) I have to take it apart, clean all the hair that gets stuck around the brushes + gears) and assemble it back together.


FWIW, you'd have to perform similar maintenance on a standard vacuum.

As well as, you know, vacuum with the damned thing.




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