Glossary

Robot terms, explained

The jargon you'll meet on spec sheets — in plain English.

62 terms

Robots & cleaning

LiDAR: Laser-based mapping that lets a robot build a precise floor plan and navigate in the dark.
vSLAM: Camera-based navigation that maps a room while tracking the robot's own position.
Suction (Pa): Vacuum pressure in pascals; higher Pa generally means better pickup on carpet and debris.
Self-emptying dock: A base that empties the robot's bin into a larger bag, so you empty it every few weeks.
Auto-wash dock: A dock that rinses and often dries the mop pads automatically between runs.
No-go zone: A virtual boundary drawn in the app to keep the robot out of an area without physical barriers.
Obstacle avoidance: Sensors (often AI cameras) that detect and steer around objects, cables and pet messes.
Recharge & resume: The robot returns to charge, then continues cleaning from where it stopped.
RTK navigation: Centimetre-accurate satellite positioning used by wire-free robot mowers.
HEPA filter: A fine filter that traps tiny allergens and dust from the vacuum's exhaust air.

LLM: A large language model trained on huge text datasets to generate and understand language.
Generative AI: AI that creates new content — text, images, code or audio — rather than just classifying data.
Machine learning: Software that learns patterns from data instead of being explicitly programmed with rules.
Inference: Running a trained model to get an answer — the everyday use, as opposed to training it.
Hallucination: When an AI confidently states something false or invented; always verify important answers.
Token: The chunk of text (roughly a word piece) AI models read and generate; usage is often billed per token.
NPU: A Neural Processing Unit — a chip block that accelerates on-device AI tasks efficiently.
Multimodal: A model that handles several input types — text, images, audio — together.
Computer vision: AI that interprets images and video — the basis of obstacle avoidance and face unlock.

CPU: The processor — the general-purpose brain that runs the operating system and most software.
GPU: A graphics processor specialised in parallel work — graphics, gaming and AI compute.
RAM: Fast temporary memory holding what your device is actively using; more helps multitasking.
SSD: Flash-based storage — far faster and more durable than a spinning hard drive (HDD).
NVMe: A fast interface for SSDs over PCIe, several times quicker than older SATA drives.
Cores: Independent processing units inside a CPU; more cores handle more tasks at once.
TDP: Thermal Design Power in watts — roughly how much heat a chip makes and power it draws.
Process node (nm): The manufacturing scale of a chip; smaller numbers usually mean denser, more efficient transistors.
Thunderbolt: A high-speed USB-C connection for fast data, external displays and docks.

5G: The fifth-generation mobile network — much faster and lower-latency than 4G where covered.
Wi-Fi 6 / 7: Newer Wi-Fi generations with higher speed and better performance on busy networks.
NFC: Near-field tap connection used for contactless payments and quick pairing.
eSIM: A built-in digital SIM you activate without a physical card.
IP rating: A dust/water-resistance rating, e.g. IP68 — the first digit is dust, the second water.
Refresh rate (Hz): How many times a screen updates per second; 120Hz looks smoother than 60Hz.
Bluetooth: Short-range wireless for headphones, keyboards and accessories.

OLED: A display where each pixel emits its own light, giving perfect blacks and high contrast.
QLED: An LCD enhanced with quantum dots for brighter, more vivid colours.
Mini-LED: An LCD backlight split into thousands of tiny zones for deeper, more controlled contrast.
Nits: A measure of screen brightness; higher nits help visibility in bright rooms and HDR.
HDR: High Dynamic Range — a wider range of brightness and colour (HDR10, Dolby Vision).
ANC: Active Noise Cancelling — microphones cancel outside sound for quieter listening.
Dolby Atmos: Object-based surround sound that adds a sense of height and 3D placement.
Audio codec: How Bluetooth audio is compressed (SBC, AAC, aptX, LDAC); better codecs improve wireless quality.
HDMI 2.1: A connector version supporting 4K/120Hz and 8K, plus gaming features like VRR.

Matter: A cross-brand smart-home standard so devices work together regardless of maker.
Thread: A low-power mesh network for smart-home devices; underpins many Matter setups.
Zigbee: A popular low-power wireless protocol for sensors, bulbs and smart-home gear.
Hub: A central device that connects and coordinates your smart-home gadgets.
Geofencing: Automations triggered by your phone's location, e.g. turning devices off when you leave.
Voice assistant: Software (Alexa, Google, Siri) that responds to spoken commands.

mAh: Milliamp-hours — a battery's capacity; higher usually means longer runtime.
Wh: Watt-hours — energy capacity; useful to compare batteries of different voltages.
Fast charging (W): Charging power in watts; higher wattage refills a battery faster if the device supports it.
Qi charging: The common wireless-charging standard — set the device on a pad to charge.
Battery cycle: One full charge-and-discharge; batteries slowly lose capacity over many cycles.
Li-ion: Lithium-ion, the rechargeable battery chemistry in most phones, laptops and robots.

GTIN / EAN: The global barcode number that uniquely identifies a product across shops.
MSRP: Manufacturer's suggested retail price — the official list price before discounts.
Refurbished: A returned or repaired unit restored and resold, usually cheaper and with a warranty.
Affiliate link: A tracked shop link that may earn the site a commission — at no extra cost to you.
Warranty: The period the maker will repair or replace a faulty product for free.
Spec sheet: The list of a product's technical characteristics — the numbers we help you compare.

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