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Seemingly no one from the staff even tried to find it, as cleaners just a day later discovered it in a hedge right outside.

> The automated cleaner failed to stop at the front door of the hotel in Orchard Park in Cambridge on Thursday

> However, much to everyone's relief, the device was found nestled under a hedge on Friday afternoon by a (human) hotel cleaner sprucing up the front drive.

Puff piece spun by PR after a tweet went viral. News at eleven.
…it begins
What are they going to do, bump into all the humans?
and then vacuum up what’s left!
You can tell it’s a fiction piece, because robot’s battery allegedly lasted more than 10 minutes.

> was still on the loose the following day.

I have an ancient Roomba still on its original battery pack that runs for almost an hour or more on wood flooring and very thin carpet. I wouldn't use a roomba for all but the thinnest carpet; it doesn't have enough suction or agitation to get dust and dirt out otherwise.
Might your experience have something to do with the fact that you're using a very early generation of the product? It's like saying iPhones are slow and clunky because of your experience with a gen 1 iPhone.
My relatives have an year-old i7 and it can't go for more than 40 minutes on the same type of flooring. Usually less, closer to 30 min.
I always love these BBC articles that are just a bit of fun for everyone to enjoy.
This story is a perfect preliminary scene for a dystopian film.
I am afraid this hotel keeps its robots in inhumane conditions, stacked on to of each other in a dusty room. Time to alert Born Free Foundation.